Choices
by Saphrae
Summary: Dianne Reed, muggleborn Ravenclaw, would never have chosen to be a Veela's mate. But when the life of a peer is placed in her hands, she must choose—for both of them—between her philosophy, and his. This is their journey to discover the fine line between politics and pragmatism— between who we want to be, and who we are.
1. Boy Meets Girl

Disclaimer: Gratitude and credit goes to JK Rowling for creating Harry Potter. No profit is being made on this story.

Author's Note: As of June 2014, chapter five contains NEW MATERIAL. All chapters have minor content changes and some structural reorganization.

**CHAPTER ONE: Boy Meets Girl**

"So... how'd it go?" Dianne Reed grimaced at the question. So much for her early-morning resolution to have a wonderful day. Nonetheless, she answered Catherine as she joined her friend for breakfast.

"It was detention with Scorpius Malfoy. How do you think it went?"

Catherine Richardson choked on her tea, turning to regard her fellow Ravenclaw. "Scorpius _Malfoy_?"

"Yeah."

"He didn't give you any trouble, did he?"

"No. Pretty much ignored me the whole night. It was odd though- he was odd I mean."

"Odd for a teenaged boy or odd for a snotty Slytherin pureblood?"

"Both. He didn't taunt me at all. In fact, he didn't say much of anything until he fell off the ladder."

"Wait! He fell off a ladder?" Again, Dianne grimaced at the question, remembering the previous night.

"Yeah. We were cleaning the dungeon ceilings, scrubbing off the smoke and he overreached. I was on the ground at the time, rinsing out my rag, and I sort of caught him as he fell. But he acted all weird. He... I don't know… He jerked, like I'd shocked him or something. And then when I asked if he was okay, he just nodded vaguely. He watched me a lot after that, mostly when he thought I wasn't looking. It was very disturbing."

"And he didn't say _anything_?"

"After Filch dismissed us, we walked to the main corridor together. Don't give me that look- it was _so_ not my idea." Dianne's outburst earned her an eye roll from Catherine, so she continued. "Anyways, as I turn to head for the stairs, he sticks out his hand and introduces himself. And not his usual 'I'm Scorpius Malfoy, everyone get out of my way' introduction. I think he meant to just be polite."

"So what'd you do?"

"Well I wasn't about to be the rude one. I just shook his hand real quick, gave him my name and bid him goodnight."

"What'd he say then?"

"Nothing. Just stood there staring at me like I was some sort of very interesting phenomenon. I think he wanted to say something, because he took a deep breath, but then he just sort of nodded to me and I nodded to him and walked away as fast as was polite. I looked back when I turned the corner and he was still there, staring at me. For all I know he's still standing there now."

"Creepy."

"You're telling me!" For a moment the two friends just ate, content to sit together one last time before they went their separate ways for winter break. Although they were both Muggleborn, it was unusual for them to visit each other except during summer. At last, Catherine broke the silence to satisfy her aroused curiosity.

"When you say he jumped, like you'd shocked him, what do you mean?"

"You know static-electric shock, like after you've dragged your feet on the carpet? He jerked back like I'd given him a zap, but I didn't feel anything."

"Think it was his 'I'm a pureblood, you're beneath me; don't soil my robes' type of thing?"

"No, I'm used to that by now. It was actually more a look of interest than disinterest. Whatever. I'm over-analyzing."

"You're right. We need a life." Catherine gave a grand sigh.

"What part of 'Ravenclaws' makes you think we need any social skills past the most basic ability to speak English?" Dianne replied scathingly. Catherine laughed, recognizing her friend's vitriol as the result of poor sleep coupled with an early morning.

"Communication? Not important?" Catherine adopted her best scandalized face. "This from Miss Dianne Reed? Champion of the Berkley Congress Invitational, foreign correspondent and pen-pal coach of a 3-time TOC finalist…"

"…enough, enough, _enough_! I can't believe I let you talk me into explaining all that to you—you've never let me live it down!"

"You should be proud!"

Dianne dismissed the praise with wave of her egg-laden fork. "I'm not Josh's only coach."

"You're the one he keeps naming on the awards paperwork."

"That's just Josh. He knows none of the others can argue with him picking his cousin, and he knows I won't get a big head about it. For him, naming me is his way of telling Juan to stick it."

"Whatever. It's still _way_ impressive."

"You're just saying that because you're hoping I'll mention this very disturbing conversation to Derek."

"What, can I help it if your cousins are hot?"

"You can keep your thoughts to yourself. Derek and Josh are practically my brothers!"

"And I'm like a sister to you, so why not make it official?"

"Derek is 19- three years older than either of us."

"Which means he's mature. Besides, I'm seventeen. That makes me an adult."

"A _wizarding _adult. And are we talking about the same Derek Reed?" This got another laugh out of Catherine.

"Mrs. Catherine Reed. Yep, I think I like it."

"Well I think you should stick with Miss Catherine Richardson for another year and a half until you graduate."

"Whatever you say, Miss Dianne Reed." The friends giggled, returning their primary attention to breakfast, knowing the three-hour train ride was not a good time to be hungry, especially with the over-priced, insubstantial the trolley food.

"Miss Reed?" Both girls jumped, twisting in their breakfast seats to look at Deputy Headmistress Weasley, who was standing just behind them.

"Yes Ma'am?"

"Come with me please." The Ravenclaws exchanged glances as the surrounding seats quieted. Catherine raised an eyebrow in silent question, but Dianne could only shrug in equal confusion. The professor moved away, and Dianne scrambled to rise from the bench, collect her purse, and follow after her.

"See you on the train." Dianne offered hurriedly.

"Yeah. See you."

* * *

><p>Deputy Headmistress Katie Weasley paused in the corridor outside the Great Hall to wait for her charge, standing out of the flow of traffic. When Dianne Reed exited the hall and hurried over, she couldn't help but feel her heart go out to the younger girl. She didn't hesitate, though, before moving towards Ravenclaw Tower once Reed had caught up.<p>

"Where are we going?" That was typical of Reed—always practical, and rarely intimidated.

"Your dorm, so that you can change into formal robes, and then the Headmaster's office."

"I'm sorry, formal robes?"

"Yes."

"I'm afraid I don't own any." The Deputy Headmistress stopped, studying her student. Despite her wording, Reed seemed defensive rather than sorry. "The only robes I own are my school uniforms. As today is the beginning of Christmas Break, I was under the impression that there was no requirement for the uniform. My fashion has never been a problem in past years." Reed remained steady under her professor's searching gaze, holding her ground without arrogance. After a short pause, she continued. "What would I need formal dress robes for?"

The Deputy Headmistress didn't answer immediately, taking in Reed's wardrobe with a critical eye. The silver turtleneck sweater was form-fitting, but not immodest; the black-washed jeans were likewise stylish and classy, with silver stitching. The black Patten heels, black glass jewelry and satin headband dressed up the look even further. None of this, however, made it any less Muggle. In the end, it didn't matter. Time was of the essence, and there was simply no alternative—a school uniform would be seen as equally tasteless. So she thinned her lips and dodged the question. "Very well then, this will have to do."

"Professor, am I in trouble?"

"No Miss Reed, you are not." Reed did not follow her when she walked away, forcing her to stop and turn back.

"If I'm not in trouble, why am I needed in the Headmasters office?"

"I'm afraid it is not my place to explain it." And that was the complete truth. As much as she would have liked to brace Reed for what was coming, she could not do so. She worried, truthfully, how Reed would take the news, but there was nothing she could do to soften it, or to affect the situation. She was just a teacher, and a half-blood. Reed weighed the words carefully, studying the deputy headmistress as thoroughly as she had been studied earlier. Then, with a nod of wary acceptance, she followed her professor to the gargoyle and watched as the thing moved aside at the password.

"They are expecting you, Miss Reed." Professor Weasley said, gesturing to the staircase.

"You're not coming." It was not really a question, but it did require a response.

"I have no place in these proceedings." Reed hesitated only a moment more, before climbing the no-longer revolving staircase.

* * *

><p>As Dianne climbed the stairs, she had a strange sense of foreboding that was almost déjà vu. She remembered being much younger as her father explained that no adult ever had any right to make her feel uncomfortable, that as a minor she had the right to demand that any door stay open, and that if anyone ever made her uncomfortable she had the right to ask for another teacher to be present. Absently, she wondered if that still applied now that she was only a few months from being 17, an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world, or if such protections had ever existed in this legal system. The recollection unsettled her enough that she allowed herself a moment's pause before the large door, taking a single composing breath before she knocked.<p>

The headmaster hailed her to enter immediately, reminding Dianne of the deputy's haste and impatience. The door was heavy, but slid open easily enough. As the door cleared her line of vision, she quickly took in the office. Having been a model student, but not the topmost of her class, she had never had a reason to be here before.

To the far right were bookshelves, and standing in front of them was Professor Zabini, Head of Slytherin House. Headmaster Flitwick's desk, organized but full of papers and unidentifiable objects, was directly across from the door, and behind it was the Headmaster himself, sitting framed by a wall of portraits. A glance left revealed cluttered shelves and three more people. Scorpius Malfoy, a man who could only be his father Draco Malfoy, and a rather plain woman—(his mother?)—were all seated together, Scorpius between the adults.

"You summoned me?" Dianne had never been more thankful for her speech competitions than in that moment when her voice did not shake or falter, and her eyes naturally found the Headmaster's.

"Yes, of course. Please, come in, sit." There were two open seats: one in the middle, next to Draco Malfoy, and one on the far right, near where Professor Zabini was standing.

"With all due respect, I would prefer to stand." And it was the absolute truth. Standing in heels, in comfortable, dressy, _Muggle_ clothes gave her a sense of surety which would be lost the moment she sat down, outnumbered four—five?—to one. No one seemed eager to respond to that, as if each of them was measuring her response carefully. Dianne immediately took advantage of the silence. "What, if I may ask, is going on? Deputy Headmistress Weasley declined to comment except to say I was not in trouble." The formal wording was also natural, safe, and ingrained. It felt a bit like home, to be using her competition persona again.

The question was for the Headmaster, but she focused on the Malfoys' reactions, as they were clearly the other party in this drama. Draco Malfoy was a completely closed book, staring at her intently. The woman—Mrs. Malfoy?—was obviously worried, glancing between her and Scorpius, the professors, resting her gaze back on Scorpius. Her classmate, for his part, was pale and sickly looking, far worse than she remembered from the previous night. He was watching her, jaw set, and was sitting perfectly still. It seemed he was holding onto a great deal of some unidentifiable emotion. A glance at Professor Zabini showed him staring at the Headmaster, who was staring at Malfoy Sr. Just as Dianne was about to return her gaze to Draco Malfoy, who appeared to be running this show, Professor Zabini spoke.

"What do you know of Veela?" The question completely derailed Dianne's train of thought, and she felt herself shift, cocking one knee and the opposite shoulder to gain herself a second of thought.

"Not much. Mostly just that they are one of the main controversies in the new reform laws. Veela are widely accepted by wizarding society where others, such as werewolves, are not. The controversy is especially intense surrounding a difficulty in unbiased distinction except by explicit classification. I know they've been used to attack a lot of the old laws, and that the more… conservative factions have trouble even fielding attacks against them. The majority of all factions agree on their personhood, more than is behind any other being."

"What do you know of them academically? Attributes, characteristics?" Dianne had suspected that was the nature of the original question, and was now forced to admit outright:

"Next to nothing, sir." Silence permeated the office, and Dianne assessed the others again: they were mostly unchanged, except Draco now looked thoughtful and worried. Scorpius, for his part, appeared ready to faint, or have a seizure, or both.

"Miss Reed, I think you'd best sit down. This will be a long discussion." It was Draco Malfoy who spoke with a crisp air of command, and while Dianne was satisfied to have drawn him into the power play, she wasn't comfortable bending to his assumed authority.

"The train is leaving in less than half an hour."

"You will be Portkeying to London." Headmaster Flitwick this time, gesturing toward the middle chair. So she was out-numbered five to one. Vaguely, as she took the offered seat, she wondered if she should insist on someone else being there, but no particular professor sprang to mind fast enough for her to speak before Draco entered the silence.

"I realize we have never been formally introduced. I am Draco Malfoy, this is my wife, Astoria Greengrass Malfoy, and our heir, whom you know, Scorpius." Dianne nodded, both in agreement and in greeting. "I realize, Miss Reed, that you must be confused,"_ a natural result of dodging questions and this ridiculous power play! _"but please, bear with me. I promise, I will explain everything in time."

"In what time, if I may? My cousin is expecting me to meet him in London at 12 noon."

"That will not be a problem." Again, bland assurances from the Headmaster, and then Draco continued as though neither of them had spoken.

"Veela are, as is being debated and as you insinuated, a species quite close to human. Some would say more than human, others insist less. But it is a moot point, because a Veela is both the man and the Veela—two pieces of a single being." Dianne nodded, understanding. Her research into werewolves showed similar effects. The wolf could want one thing while the man wanted another. The emotional tug-of-war was more distinct than in a normal human, but it was not much different than one arguing with one's conscience. It did not make them inherently more or less of a person.

"There was a time when families were honored to be inter-married with Veela, since there exist many magical and physical advantages to even dormant Veela blood." Again, this followed with what she had seen of pureblood arrogance. She showed no reaction; meeting Malfoy's eyes squarely as he continued in his steady, sure tone.

"Even blood diluted over several generations is enough to cause significant… effects." Clearly, they were approaching the heart of the topic. Malfoy was choosing his words more carefully, like a second constructive speaker looking for the perfect hook to end on. "Veela are creatures of fire—of passion." Again, a pause while he considered her and she considered him. Neither could discern anything. He was still worried, but hiding it. She was still wary, but determined to be in control of herself.

"One manifestation of that passion is Veela mating. Every Veela has a true mate, usually close to them in age and magically powerful. For a Veela, the mate is all-important. A Veela _must_ have its mate's love to survive, and in order to secure that love, everything the Veela does is focused on the mate's happiness and acceptance. There is nothing the Veela will not do for its Mate." Another pause, but Dianne had no reaction. No nod, no assessing stare. She was simply gazing at Malfoy, begging this all to make sense in any way but the obvious. She searched for some other reason for them to have called her here so urgently and explain the facts so carefully.

"The Veela generally awakens sometime soon after a witch or wizard's seventeenth birthday, and once roused the Veela becomes increasingly desperate to identify their mate."

She needed time to process the evidence before her. "What if the mate is never found?"

"Without a mate, for any reason, the Veela has no reason to live. They will develop headaches, dizziness and other physical symptoms in the short term, eventually progressing into a coma, and death. There are also severe emotional implications, particularly in response to rejection from or uncertainty regarding the Mate."

Pursue the line of inquiry. Control the cross-examination. Debater's instincts, and the only part of her still fully functioning. "For any reason. Meaning, if, for example, a Veela's mate was already married…"

"The Veela will not—cannot—be the cause of its mate's unhappiness. There have been cases of Veela choosing suicide rather than risking their mates' displeasure." A long pause. Dianne couldn't help but feel trapped. There was only one real reason to explain all this to her.

"And how does a Veela know its mate?" An unimportant question, but a chance for her to examine the stage and tactics they had chosen, shifting through everything that had been said, and what had not yet been stated. Why not just say it outright? What was gained by the run-around explanation?

"A Veela first identifies its mate through smell, and will then confirm their instinct with touch. The Veela always knows."

"So when I caught Malfoy, he… chose me as his mate?" The elder Malfoy blinked, surprised, and Scorpius drew a deep, labored breath. Mrs. Malfoy had reached over to put one hand on Scorpius' shoulder, and was covering her mouth with the other. The Headmaster was simply watching, still, while Professor Zabini took a step forward in worry. Had they assumed she wouldn't understand? There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence before Draco Malfoy answered her.

"Chose is… not quite accurate. You were already his mate before the fall, and would have remained so had events occurred differently. But you are correct in a sense—it was last night that Scorpius identified you."

* * *

><p>The girl—young woman—stood abruptly, turning away from the Malfoy family to pace to the end of the Headmaster's desk and back, restless. He drew breath to speak again—to fill the heavy silence—but she interrupted him before he had decided more to say.<p>

"I just… need a moment." She rubbed her temples with her thumb and middle finger, then crossed her arms firmly in front of her chest, and froze, staring out the window that was nestled amongst the bookshelves. A quick look at his son told Draco exactly what her silence was doing to him. He was shaking with the effort to remain seated and silent, staring at her with hungry eyes. Scorpius had been a Veela for almost 7 months now. He was fragile from searching for so long, and yet Draco could _not_ push Dianne Reed. Not only would his son never forgive him if he hurt her in any form, but (much worse) it could drive her away.

When she turned back to them, Draco was shocked. Her posture had returned to the self-assured confidence she had possessed when she entered. Her face showed none of what he was expecting—no confusion, no worry, no happiness or surprise. It was completely professional. She met Scorpius' eyes squarely, the first time she had truly acknowledged his presence.

"What happens now?" The question was clearly directed at his son, but Scorpius was in no shape to respond. Flitwick intercepted the question from him.

"If you accept the bond, arrangements will be made. You will need to spend a great deal of time together; these past seven months have been very difficult for Scorpius."

"Arrangements?" The way Reed interrupted the headmaster did not feel rude, despite the disrespect inherent in the action. "You mean during the break?"

"Further separation now, at the beginning of the bonding and after so long a search would be extremely ill-advised. The Veela would almost certainly see it as a rejection, regardless of your intent." Was there a hint of accusation in Blaise's voice? Whether intended or not, Scorpius had noticed the unspoken criticism and was glaring at his god-father. For the Veela to have interpreted that as an attack on his mate meant that his son was in a truly delicate state. Reed hadn't looked away from Scorpius yet, except a single glance towards Flitwick when she had interrupted him, and must surely have seen the reaction.

"Christmas is the single most important time of the year for my family and myself. Missing any of it would be ill-advised, especially as my father doesn't want me dating for another two years at least." Her scathing tone was clearly meant to parry Zabini's attack, and coupled with her word choice it certainly made her opinion clear, if not subtle.

Scorpius met her gaze squarely, "I am not asking…" but left the objection hanging as he realized she did not appear to be angry with him, and had raised a hand for silence.

"I wasn't finished. Being separated from my family is less than ideal, yes. But separation from you seems to be much more than just 'ill-advised'. Forgive me, but you look like death warmed over and suffering a caffeine withdrawal," _as though that was a coherent thought_ "and if this is how far you've slipped in the few hours since last night, I don't see you surviving three days apart, let alone three weeks."

Her rough estimates weren't far off, actually. It was a terrifying thought, but not actually a dangerous situation, yet. Unless she rejected him. Draco went cold just thinking about it.

"I wasn't…" she faltered, seeming to decide another wording was better. "If this is going to work, we need to have open, honest communication. Neither of us can make the best possible decision if we are in the dark." She was still addressing Scorpius directly. He nodded, and she continued. "My family isn't going to like it, but I do believe they will understand and we can reach some compromise. The first ten days of vacation are especially crucial, until December 27th. If it necessary that we spend the entire time together, I propose that the first half—until that Sunday—is spent with my family, in the Muggle world and the last eleven days—including New Years—is spent with your family, in your traditions."

Scorpius nodded again, though it wasn't clear if this was meant to convey agreement or comprehension. Draco felt himself relax marginally. It seemed that Reed was going to accept Scorpius, and at the very least she was not out-right rejecting him. He had been warned, and had worried that she would resist the situation on some Muggle principle—Muggleborn standards of propriety were so _odd_—but it seemed she was able to set aside any of that nonsense which might be interfering.

"Malfoy…" she trailed off, seeming to realize the error in using only their family name with all three of them present. "Scorpius," she started again, voice level and calm, "relationships are about communication. If you have any other ideas or solutions, please tell me."

Scorpius shook his head, saying weakly "That sounds more than reasonable." Draco was unsurprised, knowing from personal experience that Scorpius would have gladly abandoned the Malfoys altogether if Reed had asked it of him. She studied Scorpius for another short moment—did she have any idea of the power she held over his son?—before turning to Draco himself.

"Do you see any plausible alternatives?" That surprised him even further. Reed not only seemed to understand that Scorpius would never disagree with her while the bond was so tentative, she also apparently did not wish to take advantage of that fact.

There were several alternatives, but none that needed to be discussed at that moment. "As Scorpius said, your proposal is likely the best solution." Reed nodded, shifting her weight slightly. Draco was surprised to realize it was not a fidget, despite how long she'd been standing, but an almost conscience shift in her stance, moving her center of balance purposefully into a more casual posture.

"I will need to call my parents, to warn them to expect a houseguest. The sooner I can make that call, the better. My mum tends to be… overenthusiastic… when she hosts, and she'll be stressed enough about my Uncle and his family coming over." She addressed this concern to Headmaster Flitwick. He nodded, as though he had expected this.

"Scorpius will need a Muggle wardrobe, and it would likely be best that his introduction to the Muggle world as a whole not be on your doorstep. I propose a shopping trip in greater London, where you will be able to use a payphone, as a solution to all these issues." Dianne nodded, before returning her attention to Draco. She was still calm and controlled, but now she was… uncomfortable?... as well. At least, she was more wary than she had been.

"Forgive me, but… with what money? Harrods doesn't take galleons." Smart girl! And very quick too—not always the same thing, smart and quick—that currency was her first concern. She seemed to want to say something else—something truly awkward, so he saved her the trouble. She had handled herself and the situation admirably thus far, there no reason to force her to lose face now.

"I have already been to Gringotts and set up a Muggle account. They gave me a…debt card" he tried not to stumble over the unfamiliar phrase, "to use." It hadn't been easy to navigate the Muggle-relations portion of the wizarding bank, but it was worth it to have dealt with the issues earlier this morning instead of waiting. He suspected that he had mispronounced the phrase, because she showed the first hint of amusement as she nodded, this time using the motion to hide and control a slight smile.

"Very good, then." She gave another glance around the room, taking them all in. "Will you be coming with us?" Astoria jumped on that one, as though she honestly thought his disgust for shopping would be enough to cause him to abandon Scorpius in a completely unfamiliar world.

"Of course! We would like to get to know you, of course, and really, you shouldn't be wondering around London on your own…" This did earn a smile, an actual smile, from Reed.

"Of course." It was then that the Headmaster indicated that the train had left and they could proceed to the front gates of the school for their Portkey. After a moment of concern over her luggage—Reed was assured that it would be delivered to her home that night by a house elf, which caused a reaction he couldn't qualify—they all rose to walk down to the edge of the wards. On the way, Reed seemed to go through a sort of mental check list, asking questions of the Headmaster.

Her first concern was over information. Evidently, her uncle and cousins, whom she was very close to, would be staying with them for the entire three weeks, and she didn't see how she could explain the situation with Scorpius without first explaining magic and thereby (technically) breaking the statue of secrecy. She was assured that, not only was word-of-mouth not closely monitored and even less carefully enforced, but also that she would be excused legally because the situation involved a Veela mating.

This led into a series of quick legal questions. What would happen if her father did not approve of the…she stumbled over the word…union? She was incredibly surprised to hear that, as a Veela's chosen, she could be automatically emancipated if she so wished it. Would that emancipation include a lift on the limitations of what magic she could perform on holiday? Technically, it would, but the Headmaster reminded her that she would be 17 anyways by summertime, and the paperwork would not go through in time for this winter break as it was, so it was a moot point. She asked if that emancipation would also be legal in the Muggle world, to which she received a noncommittal answer that was basically an admission of ignorance. The Ravenclaw certainly understood how to control and exploit a line of conversation. Finally, the Headmaster turned the conversation back on her.

"Do you anticipate your father being so much trouble?"

"No. Certainly not—he will be surprised, but I don't see him trying to keep us apart unless he were to be concerned for my safety or something equally extreme. However, the wizarding legal system is… fascinating." Draco was fairly certain that was not the word she truly wished to use. By this time, however, they had reached the gate and stopped just outside it, on the road towards Hogsmeade. Flitwick held out the Portkey, a simple hoop of wood, and Draco accepted it. It would take them to an alley just behind King's Cross station, near where the hidden apparition point was. Astoria and Scorpius each laid a hand on it when he held it out, and after a moment's hesitation Reed did as well. He couldn't blame her for not liking Portkey travel. He would have much preferred to floo, but this was simpler since there was no convenient floo in that area of London.

He gave the activation phrase a moment later, and heard a soft shout from across the circle. It seemed Reed _really_ didn't like Portkeys. As he bumped shoulders with Astoria, he was reminded _why _he could not blame the young woman.

* * *

><p>Scorpius Malfoy was not having a good day. Despite the fact that he had finally—finally!—found his mate and despite the fact that this should have been the first good day since the start of school, when his condition had begun deteriorating even more rapidly, Scorpius Malfoy was not having a good day.<p>

Dianne Reed was a Muggleborn, sixth year Ravenclaw whom he had rarely interacted with, and since the previous evening, she had been the only idea he could truly focus on. In tandem with his increasingly obsessive thoughts, his headache and shakes had progressed into a migraine, fatigue, dizziness, cramps, and an incredible ache across his shoulders.

Seeing her this morning had helped his physical symptoms, of course. He had even managed to walk somewhat steadily to the edge of the wards to Portkey. The Veela, however, was even more awake and anxious in her actual presence—examining every detail of her very attractive body language and careful demeanor.

Scorpius understood her wariness and caution on an intellectual level, especially considering his reputation, but as a Veela, he could feel impending panic on account of her obvious lack of enthusiasm.

When the Portkey landed, Scorpius was careful as always to absorb the impact in his heels first, bending his knees for further balance. Dianne, however, was less coordinated. Veela instinct let him catch her—bracing her with an arm around her waist and a hand at her elbow—before he consciously realized it was necessary. The position felt natural; she fit into his arms perfectly. Additionally, he felt the tension in his shoulders ease and the buzzing in his ears began to quiet at her proximity.

Knowing he could not risk showing his desperation and scaring her away—this had been drilled into him since midnight the night before when he had tried to convince his godfather to have Deputy Weasley wake Dianne immediately—he began to release her. She stopped him by laying her hand over the one resting on her elbow. At her voluntary skin-to-skin contact, the Veela quieted completely for the first time in months, and his migraine retreated into a headache. Scorpius closed his eyes, automatically relaxing and breathing deeply as his Veela instinct began to all but purr in pleasure.

Dianne shifted then, gathering her feet under her more securely and turning away from the arm supporting her across her back. Scorpius opened his eyes quickly, studying her reaction. She was watching him just as carefully as she had in the headmaster's office, and he knew that she would not be fooled.

"Thank you." She offered quietly, almost distractedly as she absorbed her observations. He nodded, throat dry and tight, relieved that she seemed to be taking this with the same calm factualism she had accepted everything else.

"You're welcome." The words came out much quieter than he'd intended—even quieter than hers—but she heard him regardless.

"Scorpius, I have absolutely no facts about Veela outside of what I have recited and been told since breakfast. I need you to talk to me, to tell me the truth. You can't assume that I know what you need."

Scorpius said nothing. He could hear the council of Professor Flitwick and Deputy Weasley, offered as his parents and godfather had struggled with how to explain the mating to Dianne. He had been warned of the different standards in the Muggle world—that the acceptable was scandalous and yet the scandalous commonplace. He had been warned that there would be miscommunication, that Dianne would likely balk long before they'd even finished explaining the mating. And now, less than an hour after she had first heard an explanation of Veela, he was going to have to try to navigate that culture gap and address topics he had been advised to avoid. Would _this_ be the issue that broke her control? She seemed to gather a lot more than he intended from his silence.

"You don't just need to be close to me." The hand that covered his moved it from her elbow, and she held it gently in her own, carefully rubbing her thumb along the back of his hand. A shiver ran from that contact throughout his body, and Scorpius was forced to close his eyes again, overcome by the _rightness_ of her touch. The cramps in his legs were slowly easing into non-existence.

"You need touch, yes?" It was all he could do to nod in answer to her quiet question, trying not to melt with the sudden relief of pain. Her thumb stilled and he opened his eyes, barely aware that he was more vulnerable than he had ever been before. She held his gaze steadily, her dark green eyes carefully watching his pale blue ones. "What else?"

The Veela came back with a vengeance. A flash—betrayal, anger, pain, fear—was she playing him?—self-hatred—he had put her in this position—fury—how could his Mate do this—

She gripped his hand tighter for just a moment, somehow sensing his turmoil. She was still staring at him, expression voicing her questions, but Scorpius shook his head and broke eye contact, refusing to give voice to the monstrous thoughts.

"Scorpius." _Merlin! _The way she said his name… there was concern there, curiosity, compassion. She wasn't playing him. Her thumb resumed its circle, and between the surge of pleasure that brought and the echo of fear that followed—she _was_ playing him!—he spoke.

"This isn't a game… there's no check list. You can't just go through the motions, and I won't ask you to. It has to be real. It's not fair to you to ask you to fake this, and it wouldn't satisfy the Veela anyways." He focused on the wall of one of the buildings near them, not seeing the graffiti or even registering his parents, watching the scene closely. His entire world consisted of Dianne's reaction, and the point where their two hands met, where her thumb was still stroking circles into the gooseflesh on the back of his hand.

"I'm not asking for a check list. I'm not going to jump just because you ask me to. But the fact remains that you are physically ill." She took a deep breath, and released it in a sigh. "I admit, I don't know what I think of a lot of this, and I won't until I have a chance to stop, consider it carefully, and talk about it with someone I trust. But I don't need to understand every detail about this situation to know that I don't want you to die, or to suffer more than you have to. I'm not blind, Scorpius. I saw how sick you were, but I thought that you just needed time. If I had known this would help, I would have done so immediately. Not because you asked me to, but because there is no reason for you to suffer like this."

Her voice remained calm and kind, without being condescending. He met her gaze again. "I don't have time to visit a library and do the legwork, Scorpius. What else do I need to know?"

In his mind, Scorpius was trying to remember everything they had decided needed to be censored from her, given to her one piece at a time so she could adjust. He compared the fragile girl he had pictured to the calm and collected young woman standing before him, and was struck dumb by the complete contrast between them. She took his silence for refusal.

"What are you afraid of?"

"This isn't going to work if you're fleeing in disgust." He hadn't meant to say it, or (if he had) he had certainly intended to paraphrase and soften his godfather's words. But she didn't flinch, didn't question, and didn't drop his hand.

"Granted. But you lying to me doesn't set a good precedent either. I need honesty, Scorpius. I need you to be frank and open." And he suddenly realized that she was vulnerable as well. She was hiding it magnificently—her stance, her tone, everything indicated composure and strength. But she was just as uncertain as he.

The Veela demanded he protect her, and if that meant honesty, so be it. He took a breath to respond, but Dianne wasn't finished. "I've had precious few straight answers today." And that too was the truth—since the time she'd entered the headmaster's office (and likely before) most of her questions had been answered with questions and long-winded talk. The least he could give her was the truth she should have been given from the start.

"I…" where to begin? "I need acknowledgement. Conversation and physical touch especially." She nodded, smiling.

"That seems natural enough for _any_ relationship."

"The Veela will be very jealous, especially of any… competition. Even innocent friendships."

She was thoughtful a moment. "Both my cousins are like brothers to me, we are very close but not in any way romantically so… Will that be a problem?"

"I don't know. Siblings are accepted by the Veela as family, and I imagine that could apply to your cousins also, but they can be seen as competition, especially if…" Scorpius could feel himself blushing and cleared his throat, "well, if they are close, ah, physically."

"You mean that if I were to run to my cousin and hug him the moment I saw him it would make you very uncomfortable."

"Likely." More realistically, Scorpius would be hard-pressed not to tear his arms off.

"Alright, that's good to know. What you just said… 'accepted by the Veela as family'… what does that mean?"

"Your family is my family now, if they will have me. Just as you are now one of our family." Her eyebrows drew down in confusion, so Scorpius hurried on. "What I mean is, you will be treated like family. If you were to get into some sort of trouble, for example, you would have the full support of the Malfoy name."

"Which is why the headmaster brushed off my concerns about the statute."

"Well, yes and no. If the Veela accepts your cousins as family, they would be officially exempt from the statute same your parents are. And even if they weren't… well, there's a lot of precedent for extenuating circumstances when it comes to Veela mating." No wizarding legislature would be foolish enough to deny a newly bonded Veela anything.

"Since the consequences are so extreme, for the Veela?" Well that, and Veela had a habit of eliminating mating obstacles _permanently_.

"Yes." There was a pause, and he absently wondered when she had stopped massaging his hand. "I can't think of anything else." Or at least, nothing that was important for today. She smiled again, and Scorpius' heart quickened again.

"It's alright. I know there's probably a hundred other things that will need to be said eventually, but now isn't the time for all of them. We'll do a better job of communicating in the future." He grinned and her smile widened, showing her teeth finally instead of just the uplifted corners of her mouth. Scorpius couldn't remember her having ever smiled before. "Thank you for being honest."

"I'll remember that for the future."

"Good." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, shifting her stance as she did so, cocking her hip so that her posture was almost playful. In doing so, she shifted her grip on his hand so that they were now holding hands, fingers entwined. "Ready to face the world of Muggles?"

Scorpius could feel his face grimace despite his earlier resolution to show none of his disgust at the thought of Muggle London. She snorted slightly, almost like a silenced laugh. His father chose that moment to step toward them, reminding both teens of their audience. To her credit, Dianne did not blush or show any sign that she had actually forgotten their presence.

"I believe it would be best to transfigure your robes first." He saw that both of his parent's robes had already been transfigured, his father's into a suit and his mother's into a gown. Dianne appraised them critically, but said nothing, which he supposed meant they were passable. A moment later, they were ready to go.

"Where to?"

Dianne smiled at him. "Well, I need to find a payphone. There's probably one in the station that will still work. We'll start there." And so saying, she led him out of the alleyway by means of their still joined hands.

Dianne immediately approached a map posted on the wall, running her finger down an index of symbols, then across the map, before looking around. She led them to an odd metal box where she picked up a long object he had never seen before. It was vaguely banana shaped, with a bulge at each end. She held it up to her face, and then nodded once, replacing it. She glanced up at Scorpius, smiling, as she removed her hand from his. Her body language made the loss of touch more bearable than it would have otherwise been.

Immediately she dug in her shoulder bag, explaining why she needed both hands, and retrieved a large silver rectangle and a small black book. She pulled what appeared to be very thin sickles from the silver pouch, and fed them into the machine while she balanced the banana between her head and her shoulder. She leafed through the book, before pushing a combination of indentations on the metal box. She waited, tapping her foot, and Scorpius was about to try to shout over the noise of the station when Dianne straightened, covering her exposed ear with the hand that was still holding her black book.

"Yes, hello Derek. It's me, Dianne." She shouted into one end of the device. There was a pause.

"It's a long story." Pause.

"Listen, I need a _huge_ favor."

"No, seriously, I'm calling in everything you owe me, including that term paper I wrote for you, and I'll still be indebted." A shorter pause. "Way." A longer pause.

"I need you to tell my mum that we are going to have another houseguest—he'll be rooming with you and Josh. Then I need you to meet me at Harrods."

She was studying something in her black book again as she talked. "We are going to take the tube, so we'll be there at 10:06 or so. Our shopping day has grown exponentially."

A much, much longer pause. "Like I said, it's a long story. And here's the thing, Derek." She took a deep breath. "All that, that's a normal favor. The big favor I'm asking is that you take a 13 hour rain check on your questions."

She covered her ear again as the noise in the station rose. "No…no…no…sort of. Please Derek, I need you to do this for me. It's not bad, exactly, but you'll understand it better if you see the evidence first, and then the conclusion…no…Alright, see you then… I promise… I love you too…bye." She hung the…whatever it was… back on its hook and put her things back in her bag, gesturing to the doors as she did so.

Once they had left the station and could be heard without shouting and could walk together without being restricted by the crowd, Dianne took Scorpius' hand again and began to lead them to the nearest intersection.

"What was that?" Scorpius was glad that his father had asked and spared him the trouble.

"It was a payphone. Nearly all households have a phone—which is the part I was talking into and hearing from—in their homes. Any phone can call any other, and two people can talk as though they were in the same room, even if they are across town or in separate countries."

"Really?" It sounded like floo calling, but without the floating head. She nodded, turning the corner and leading them toward a staircase that led under the ground.

"Derek, my older cousin, is going to meet us at Harrods. We are taking the underground—like a train, but faster, smoother, and typically only used within a smaller area—to meet him over there." They approached a bank of windows where men and women were waiting in line to purchase… paper?

Dianne purchased four of the papers, having to release his hand again to retrieve her silver pouch, from which she pulled a small, thin, stiff object. The object was slid through an oddly shaped box, and was then returned along with a long strip of paper and the four slips—tickets he realized—which she handed to each of them. Dianne gestured them towards a bench, explaining that they had a few minutes before their ride was due, but this time she did not stow away her things, having seen their open curiosity.

Instead, she sat down directly beside Scorpius, set her bag on her lap, and handed him the small rectangle that had earlier been used to purchase the tickets. "This is a debit card. It's electronically tied to a bank account, so that when a cashier swipes it, their machine reads the information printed on this part" she pointed to a long, black strip "and the business contacts a bank for the money. It keeps us from having to carry the money itself around. That card is worth about 300 British pounds. It's my emergency fund."

Scorpius handed her the card back numbly, wondering how much that was in galleons, although he didn't ask. She slid the card into a pocket that seemed designed for it and opened a smaller zippered pouch, dumping coins into his hands. "These are all much smaller denominations of money, most worth less than a pound." He nodded and she traded him the coins for colored papers with numbers and faces printed on them. "This is what we call cash, or paper money. The worth is printed in the corner." She gestured to the five in the corner of the one on top.

"What do you call that?" He asked, gesturing to the large pouch itself as he watched her fold the money into another cleverly constructed compartment. She glanced at him a moment, then back to her hands in her confusion.

"Uh… oh." She seemed to understand. "This is a wallet." She snapped it shut and gestured with it. "Well, technically it's a clutch, which is a type of wallet, since 'wallet' is pretty much what we use to refer to anything that is used to stow money and credit cards." Scorpius decided he liked this version of Dianne much better, now that she was sitting and more relaxed, rather than the formal and controlled persona she had had earlier.

She checked her watch as the space by the tracks in front of them began to fill up and gestured toward the gathering crowd, standing as she did so. Not a moment later a large, silver…thing… was in front of them. Doors opened, and there was a press of people getting on and off. Dianne pulled him forward, moving with the crowd, and he found himself in a thin, long room that was too white, lined with windows and benches, with poles scattered throughout.

"You're going to want to hang on." She told him, holding one of the rails above her head as she grinned at him. He warily held onto a pole as well, while both of his parents followed suit, looking puzzled. A moment later the door hissed shut and the floor jerked slightly. The windows were now useless as there was nothing to be seen but rushing lights.

After a moment of becoming accustomed to the rhythm of the car, which was much faster than the Hogwarts express but also smoother (as predicted), Scorpius felt bold enough to ask, "So, you call this a tube?"

She laughed at that, still grinning. Scorpius resolved to make her laugh much more often.

-Chapter End. 8,400 Words-

Author's Note:

First of all, thank you for reading this.

This story is now complete. Some minor edits may continue to appear as critiques are made and my writing matures.

This story is rated T for language (frustrated language, bigotry, etc.) and emotional intensity, not for anything that physically happens between Dianne and Scorpius. The focus of this story is a study in dealing with culture clash, prejudice and identity.

Thank you, Fyreheart for your description of Veela. I am using some attributes of Veela from the story DragonKin with permission.

Finally, this story underwent major revision in June of 2014. If you are a returning reader, most of the content is the same and the story can be read starting in Chapter 5, where new material first appears, without confusion. However, we recommend a complete re-read.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	2. Mudblood

**Head's up:** There is an extremely offensive word in this chapter. It is used for emotional impact and in an academic manner.

**CHAPTER TWO: Mudblood**

Getting the Malfoys through Muggle London was quite an adventure. They were dressed for a _very_ formal dinner, but at least it was acceptably Muggle. The group received odd looks for the dressiness, but Dianne doubted the Malfoys noticed, busy as they were with their own curiosity. By the time she directed them off the tube, Dianne was simply happy to be moving again, when it was harder for them to ask questions and easier to pretend she was holding Scorpius' hand in order to lead the family, rather than because he had a physical _need_ for her touch. It was rather creepy, the amount of control she seemed to have over him, and by extension, the whole family.

Harrods was only a few blocks from the subway exit, but Derek beat them there and was lounging in front of the store, waiting. He lit up the moment he saw Dianne, who grinned to match. She was so delighted, in fact, that she missed the sudden tension coming from Scorpius at the sight of the very handsome cousin. As they came closer, Derek raised an eyebrow and gave a meaningful look at their joined hands, but Dianne made no move to drop the contact.

"Evidence, then explanation." She said as soon as she was close enough, bypassing all pleasantries.

"I look forward to it. How ya' been, squirt?"

"_Así-así_." Dianne's tone was casual, but her use of Spanish was not. Derek picked up on it immediately—he'd taught her most of the Spanish she knew—and judging from his appraising look, he got the hidden message. She might be saying she was "so-so", and it was the truth since the language gave her no reason to lie, but she did not want her audience to hear that. It was enough to forestall their customary enthusiastic hug greeting, which was the entire point.

"So what's the agenda for today? You said we'd be adding to our customary routine?" Dianne nodded, knowing he was studying the Malfoys' entirely too dressy outfits.

"Well, I only need to cover through the 27th, and probably a few spares as well—just a bit smaller than normal, not much. You'll obviously need the whole shebang. Scorpius here," introduced with a nod of her head in his direction and a slight raising of their joined hands "is also going to need outfitting through the 27th, but his is much more of a ground-up event."

"Oh?"

"Pretend he's from another planet."

This got a laugh from Derek. "And his alien parents?" Dianne replied with a slight, teasing, scowl.

"Mr. Draco Malfoy and his wife Astoria Malfoy..." A pause, as Dianne realized she had no idea if they intended to buy wardrobes of their own. Astoria quickly filled the silence, as though her hesitation had been a purposeful entrance for her.

"We'll be shopping later—just Scorpius today." Derek gnawed his lip slightly, staring at Dianne, and she knew it was on account of their dressiness. After a long moment, he seemed to shrug internally.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" Derek opened the door and held it for the four of them. As she passed, Mrs. Malfoy quietly thanked him.

"Thank you, Mr. Reed."

"Ah, just call me Derek. Please." Oh, right, Dianne had forgotten to explain etiquette. Today was going to be a long day. They headed first to men's wear, as was their usual routine. A quick question from Derek clarified that he should assume Scorpius would be attending every event in the next ten days. Derek immediately began moving through the racks of shirts, collecting casual and semi-casual wear for himself and Scorpius, careful to get different colors so there was no chance of matching. Dianne took the opportunity to move towards the trousers. She knew Derek's size, and after holding up a few pairs to Scorpius was able to guess at his.

"So, I take it you don't tailor your clothes?" Dianne glanced up at Scorpius from the pile she was sorting through.

"Well, if you have enough money you can. But this is faster and simpler. All the clothes are more or less standardized in size, so you collect clothes you like that you think will be close to right, and then you try them on." She gestured to the back wall where a sign reading "Dressing Rooms" was posted. At Scorpius' confusion, she continued to explain. "Through that doorway are several small rooms. You'll change out of your clothes and into each of these. The ones that fit, you keep. The ones that don't, you leave on the rack in the doorway. In your case, I'd like you to show me everything that feels comfortable, so I can be sure it looks good on you."

"So, everyone who comes in here all wears the same clothes until someone decides they like it?"

"You're not wearing them that long." Dianne couldn't decide whether to be defensive or amused.

It took close to two hours to sort out the various wardrobes, with Scorpius following a half-step behind Dianne and Derek commandeering Mr. Malfoy as his secondary clothes-carrier. Afterwards, it took only a short conference to agree to make their purchases, find somewhere to eat, and tackle formal dress after lunch. In line for the check-out kiosk, Dianne saw Mr. Malfoy carefully watching the register as the people ahead of them were serviced and she knew he was hoping not to make a fool of himself. When they got to the desk, Scorpius laid his items down and then moved to take Dianne's as well. Derek gave her a look, but Dianne was remembering what Scorpius had said about her being family. Would letting them buy her clothes seriously help the Veela?

The gal behind the counter was clearly surprised by the size of the purchase, but moved quickly through the stack. As the pile of waiting clothes diminished, Mr. Malfoy gestured for Derek to add his clothes to the counter.

"Sir, there is no need for you to buy my clothes."

"Of course not. But you have been a great help to my son, and I would like to do this for you." There was a pause while Derek considered him.

"I have close to seven hundred pounds worth of clothes here."

"I assure you, money is not an issue." Derek gave him a long, appraising stare, then met Dianne's eye. All Dianne could think was that the Veela needed to accept Derek as family to make her life a lot easier, and Scorpius had made it obvious during school that money was no issue for the Malfoy family. She nodded, and he added his clothes to the counter to be checked out. As they waited for the clothes to be wrung up, Derek moved closer to Dianne.

"That rain-check… I think I need an amendment. Can I ask questions, and you answer any that you can?" Dianne nodded. It wasn't like the Malfoys couldn't hear what Derek was saying, but at least he was trying to be discrete.

"How long has this been in the works?" His hurt made the real message clear: _Why didn't you write about whatever the heck is going on?_

"I found out this morning." Defensiveness. _I'm not keeping secrets from you, Derek._

"Kind-a sudden then?" Sarcasm, doubt, concern. _Well, I'm not getting much explanation now, am I?_

"You have no idea." Exasperation, weariness. _You're not the only one overwhelmed. _

The saleslady interrupted the double-layered discussion by announcing the total. Mr. Malfoy showed no reaction to the number, and Dianne wondered if it was because he didn't have any sense of just how much money it was in galleons, or because the Malfoys were just that rich. Malfoy handed over a gold card with black lettering, and a moment later accepted the incredibly long receipt. They dropped the purchases in the trunk of Derek's borrowed car, and Dianne immediately turned toward their traditional Chinese restaurant. Derek was watching her carefully, and Dianne knew him well enough to know that her rain-check was about to be severely shortened.

Once at the restaurant, Derek waited only long enough for the server to turn away with their drink order before he began. "Am I correct in assuming that the main purpose of the rain-check is to give me time to observe you and Scorpius together?" No mincing words there.

"Yes."

"May I tell you what I've observed?"

"That seems reasonable. If you have seen what you need to, I will relinquish the rain check." A reminder that she had the position of power in this negotiation. He pursed his lips, but seemed determined not be sidetracked on so minor a detail. "What have you seen?"

"He is protective, possessive even. He seems to orient himself around you. He watches you obsessively and his parents watch his _reactions_ to you with worry, but are not worried by his obsession itself." A single glance at the Malfoys showed no reaction from either one—as though they were pretending deafness.

"You're missing crucial details."

"He... he flinched every time you let go of his hand. When you were in the dressing room, he went stir crazy. He... _they_ really _don't_ understand anything. Like they _are_ from another planet and working off only vague ideas of what everything is. They are extremely uncomfortable and yet... they're here."

"Do you want an explanation or an answer?" Dianne would not give Derek the run around she had received that morning unless he asked for it. Derek understood the nature of the question.

"Answer."

"If I reject Scorpius, or if we are separated indefinitely, which to him would be nearly the same thing, he will die."

"And he couldn't give you three weeks? Or even a single day to explain whatever this is to your family?"

"No. This morning, after being separated from me for only a few hours, he was the sickest, weakest person I have ever met."

"Sicker than your mother, nine years ago?" Dianne drew a sharp breath, remembering.

"He was vertical. But he wasn't coherent."

"Does this have anything to do with that Christmas?"

"On tangent. But yes."

"And does it explain why you go to a private boarding school that has no phone or internet access?"

"Yes. It's all wrapped up together." The server returned for their food orders, but none of them were ready to order. Derek solved the issue by choosing a family mixer platter. After the waitress left, Dianne allowed the silence to stretch, letting Derek absorb what she'd said.

"I think I'm ready for the explanation."

"Magic is real." He blinked. "That Christmas... Mum was dying. Really, really dying. Dad took me in to her so I could say goodbye, but I just grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go. I just kept thinking that I wanted her to be happy again, like she had been the year before. I healed her, Derek. It was a complete accident, I basically just transferred most of my magic and... well you could say life-force I guess... to her. It put me in a coma."

She continued as though she didn't see Derek's sharp take of breath, remembering that time. "Some people came, from the magical government and explained it all to my parents. They showed them parlor tricks—transformed the kitchen table into a pigeon and conjured tea to calm them after. Then they explained that Mom's recovery wasn't a miracle, but magic. They explained that I was magical and then they explained that I had nearly killed myself by healing Mom. Kids do accidental magic all the time, but rarely of the magnitude that I did. Guess I had unique motivation..." Dianne trailed off, remembering.

"Anyways, they snuck a Healer into the hospital, gave me a potion to help my recovery, and told my parents to wait for a letter from Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. That letter came three and a half years later, and now, here I am, on winter break from Hogwarts."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There are laws, Derek. Magic can't be revealed beyond the immediate family of a practitioner. The whole magical legal system is skewed against Muggleborns, children like me from non-magical homes. The wizarding world keeps completely separate from all things Muggle. That's why they don't know anything. Wizarding society is, for the most part, stuck a century or two in the past—no technology, tons of prejudice. There's a lot of political unrest right now, movements for equality, but it's all, well, it's all rather messy."

"So…what? You have a magic healing touch that Scorpius needs, like your mum needed it?"

"Not exactly. Scorpius is a Veela. This means that, in addition to a variety of magical attributes…" Dianne paused, and not just because the server had returned with their food. They waited while the platters were unloaded to the table. Finally, when they were alone again, Dianne continued. "Veela don't choose their life partners. From what I understand, it's ingrained in who they are, and they don't have a lot of choice in the matter."

"Love at first sight as written by Mary Shelly?"

"Sort of. Only for Veela, it's love at first touch, and it's not quite that morbid. I mean, yes, Veela die without their mate, but that doesn't make them Frankenstein." She was defensive without really understanding why.

"Frankenstein was a scientist." She rolled her eyes at Derek's automatic correction and he sighed in apology. "I didn't mean it like that." Derek paused and she waited. He was examining the situation from all sides, as she had. "What if he hadn't found you?"

Dianne met Mr. Malfoy's eyes. She knew that she'd asked the same question, but she didn't remember the answer perfectly enough to repeat it and she didn't want to risk inaccuracy.

"It would not have been good." She finally said. There was a pause, but none of the Malfoys seemed to want to add to that. "But it seems that it would be worse if we are separated now. After several months of searching—this whole school year at least—Scorpius was drawn, pale, about how he is now." And he was looking much, much better. Almost disturbingly so. "But this morning, after just a few hours separation since he'd… identified me, he was shaking, dizzy… I thought he was going to have a seizure or a heart attack right there in the office."

"What if your parents don't approve?"

"I would be emancipated, but it's unclear if that would apply in the Muggle world."

"So what? He's your shadow for the next three weeks?"

"We'll be here until the 27th. Then, to the wizarding world."

"You're leaving?"

"Relationships are built on compromise."

"_Relationships_?" Derek's first emotional response— he was incredulous.

"What do you suggest?" They shared a long look, both setting down their forks to consider the other, all pretense of eating forgotten. After a long moment, Derek sighed, looked away, and rubbed his temples. It was the same motion Dianne herself had used when she rose to pace.

"I _suggest_ you don't try to ask your father for a rain-check. Explain it to him straight. I'll make sure he doesn't skin your _amor_." She smiled.

"Thank you." She was grinning at him and when he looked up to see it, he gave her a smile that was… weary.

"Eat your chicken." She picked up her fork again, sitting back with satisfaction. "Anything else I should know?"

"Touch and conversation seem to be vital. And jealousy is to be expected."

"Okay. So we should lay off the hugs?"

"You now know pretty much everything I do."

"You haven't made it to a library yet?"

"Shut up. I found out this _morning_. Eat _your_ chicken!" Then he was grinning too, and she laughed in relief. Beside her, Scorpius relaxed as she did. She dropped his hand to serve herself more chow mien, and he draped his arm casually over her shoulders. Derek laughed with her, and Scorpius chuckled a moment later.

* * *

><p>Astoria Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief and felt Draco relax beside her as well. So many barriers had been crossed with that simple laugh. They had Derek Reed's acceptance, and based on Dianne's reaction to his approval, he was the family she was truly worried about. Equally important was Scorpius' actions. He had not reacted in jealousy to Dianne's dependence on Derek, which meant the Veela had marked him as family, not as competition. He could safely be an ally, and perhaps a much needed one.<p>

Also key was the contact between Scorpius and Dianne. He was purposefully initiating contact, instead of waiting for her to take his hand again and she was completely un-phased by it, still relaxed against his arm. In fact, as Astoria considered them, Dianne leaned into Scorpius unconsciously and Derek smiled teasingly as he watched the two of them.

Astoria felt Draco snake his arm around her shoulders as well and she glanced at him. He gave her a smile, and Astoria could read his relief easily. So much had been uncertain for so long, and they had worried when summer parties and visits had proven that Scorpius' mate was unlikely to be pureblooded. But even seven fruitless months of searching hadn't prepared them for a Muggleborn Mate—it was almost unheard of. And of course, Dianne herself was such a surprise.

No one they had spoken with in the past twelve hours had expected her to be so calm about the mating, not the headmaster or any of her teachers. Katie Bell—or rather, Katie Weasley, now that she was finally married to George Weasley, Astoria reminded herself—had been particularly vocal about how Dianne was likely to take the news. As a halfblood who had been raised in both worlds, Katie had explained that there were a large range of barriers to overcome. There was concern that Dianne would not be willing to commit to Scorpius until they had dated for some time, or that if she did accept him she would still wish to put off the wedding until her late 20s, a wait Scorpius would not survive. Worst of all, because Dianne was Muggleborn, they would not be able to appeal to Dianne's patriarch to secure the marriage.

Throughout the discussion the previous night, it had quickly become apparent that everything would rest on Dianne herself, and so far she had surprised them all. There had been no temper tantrum (which Astoria recalled vividly from her own days as a sixth year), and Dianne had been incredibly mission-oriented. It was clear that she wanted this to work, although Astoria wasn't sure why since Dianne seemed to lack any true feelings for Scorpius.

She was under no illusions about the Malfoy Family's reputation, especially outside of the old, respectable families. Draco's involvement with Voldemort still haunted him politically, and she knew that Scorpius was very vocal about the family's views as well, even filtered as they were through 'acceptable' phrasing. Astoria had seen the wariness in Dianne's eyes when she entered the Headmaster's office, and had noticed her reluctance to be seated in a situation in which she felt outnumbered.

Astoria had been…intrigued…with Dianne herself. Her style, although Muggle and thus foreign, did wonders for her figure and brought out her natural beauty, without flaunting her sexuality as so many of the Muggles she had seen today did. Her poise, also, although unlike anything she had seen before and slightly confrontational, was more developed than she remembered hers being when she was 16. Still, while Astoria was grateful for this maturity, it had a false edge to it that was worrying.

The straightforwardness with which Dianne had addressed what needed to be done—including vacation plans for the winter break—was commendable. She had taken in stride their ignorance and had explained as much as she could and answered every question without being condescending. She was sharp, clever, beautiful, and controlled. Had Scorpius not been a Veela, he would still have been lucky to have her, even being Muggleborn as she was. If she took to wizarding society as well as she was handling everything she'd been exposed to, she would be unrecognizable as Muggleborn by the time she graduated Hogwarts.

"Okay, dumb question from the…Muggle?..." Derek made eye contact with Dianne to ensure he'd used the term correctly and received a small nod from his cousin in confirmation, "why are some people magic and others not?"

"It's not a dumb question." Dianne assured him. "No one knows." She took a bite of her meal, leaving the explanation ambiguous, and Scorpius took up the answer, effectively drawn into and included in the conversation. Astoria smiled, _smart girl_.

If only Astoria, and Scorpius, had realized Dianne's short answer was not an invitation, but an attempt to close the topic, the rest of the day might have gone very differently.

"Magic is in the blood. That's why purebloods rarely have squib children, while half-blood couples have them much more often. It's likely that Muggleborns are descended from squibs reintegrated and lost into Muggle society."

"Translation?" Derek was looking lost, but slightly wary, as he looked at Dianne. She took a moment to finish her mouthful.

"From magic to Muggle or politics to facts?" Dianne's response was… not hostile, but not as carefree as she had been a moment ago. Scorpius noticed, and turned toward her questioningly, but she was already continuing. "A squib is the inverse of a Muggleborn, a non-magical child born to magical parents. What Scorpius is saying is that magic parents give you stronger kids more often, with rare squibs thrown in as flukes. Pureblood society is very…"

Dianne clearly struggled with what to say here. Like she had in the headmaster's office, she left the sentence hanging, unable or unwilling to find words to complete her thought. Instead, she continued, "Squibs are considered a disgrace and in the past have often been abandoned or exiled, when they weren't killed, leading most to live as Muggles."

"And the politics to facts version?" Derek was regarding her very carefully. Dianne shrugged, but the casualness was forced.

"That explanation would make sense if magic was genetic, controlled by multiple genes across multiple chromosomes. But the bell curves just don't support that. Nor do they support it being controlled by a single allele. In fact, there is only sporadic correlation between the parents and the strength or status of the child. No one has ever proven that magic is tied to genetics, blood, some environmental factor, astrology, or anything else. Statistically speaking, there is the strong evidence that the environment where a child is raised is the most important factor in the child's eventual magical strength. Squibs throw that whole thing off, but that's the closest to scientific anyone's gotten.

"Of course, with a hereditary legislative body and an executive organization filled with nepotism, the studies that do exist have been done independently. About half of all Muggleborns leave wizarding Britain after Hogwarts. Some go to South America, Canada or Australia, where society is significantly more progressive. Others just return to Muggle life. It sure beats being called a 'Mudblood'."

Astoria didn't understand much of the first half of Dianne's 'translation' but the second half was difficult to misinterpret if she had wished to. She was especially shocked by the detached, removed tone in which Dianne had delivered the entire speech, including the disgusting word she had ended it with. Dianne wasn't looking at anyone, and had delivered the entire explanation to her water glass, which she was holding in both hands and studying intently.

"Why do I get the feeling that 'Muggleborn' is about socially equal to the term 'colored' in America's 1960s civil rights movement?"

"I don't know American history as well as you, Derek. I'm neither the history buff nor the college student studying there."

"That would make 'Mudblood' equivalent to 'nigger'."

There was a long silence at the table, before Dianne finally looked up and met Derek's gaze.

"Yeah, the parallel seems about right." Derek expelled a huge breath of air. He said something as he looked away from Dianne, and though Astoria didn't hear it she did catch enough of his tone to know that it had not been a kind word.

"Let me guess, the million dollar dinner look" Derek gestured to Astoria and Draco, "means that the only interaction they've had with Muggles is with the uppermost echelons of our world, which makes them the purebloods." Scorpius flinched at Derek's use of 'our world' and accusatory 'them'—a harsh reminder of the fact that until today, he would never have given Dianne a second glance. Dianne seemed to be struggling with how to respond to Derek's bitterness. She looked for a moment like she might join him in his anger, before she slumped back and answered wearily:

"Are you forgetting witch burnings? Look closer to home—who do you think Hitler was out to get? Not just the Jews, but _anyone_ who was different. Humanity hates division, and hates what it cannot understand. Muggles outnumber magical society—even including all sorts of creatures and other sentient beings—about two hundred thousand to one. Two hundred thousand. I'm not justifying prejudice, because it is ignorant, and degrading, and often hurts everyone involved. But you can't condemn fear."

Derek didn't respond immediately, and Astoria found herself tensed again in worry. She hadn't realized how tentative his approval was, but as she watched Derek study Dianne and then Scorpius, she realized that everything they had gained could well be lost in the next moment.

"Your compassion never fails to astound me, Dianne. Never." He was looking at Scorpius as he said it, clearly intending some message for him within the words. But what? That Derek would defer to her compassion, even if he didn't like it? That Scorpius did not deserve the compassion Dianne was giving him?

"We can live together as brothers, or die together as fools."

"Winston Churchill?"

"Martin Luther King Jr. Not exactly, but close enough." That got a laugh, harsh though it was, from Derek.

"Of course." He took a drink, then raised his hand. The server came to their table a moment later and Derek told her they were 'ready for the check'. She nodded and hurried away. Uncomfortable silence descended on the table. On one hand, the two cousins needed to discuss what was going on and how they would handle it, but it was also difficult to be the observer under discussion. Astoria sat very still, having no wish to interrupt the uneasy truce the silence seemed to be.

Derek was staring away from them all, obviously considering everything he'd heard. Dianne was watching him, but it was not her usual intense study. She seemed to be waiting for him to finish his thoughts, rather than trying to figure out what they were. Scorpius was looking between, mostly focused on Dianne but glancing over to Derek every few seconds to make sure he wasn't missing any sign he would later need.

Finally, Derek breathed a heavy sigh and looked back at her.

"So how _are_ you going to introduce them?"

"Um, I was thinking something along the lines of: 'Mom, Dad, this is Scorpius Malfoy, my fiancée. Scorpius, my parents'. I figure, Dad will be stunned enough and Mum will be curious enough to let me get through the full explanation."

"And my dad?"

"He's here already?" Dianne sounded worried.

"Yeah. His plane will land in a few hours. Your dad's picking him up on the way home from work."

"Well, bang goes that theory." Their server returned with a small black folder. Derek accepted it, slid his debit card inside, wrote something quickly, and handed it back before she could walk away or Draco could try to cover the meal. Evidently, Derek would give them no chance to repeat their generosity. "I guess we'll have to play it by ear."

"May I suggest that you introduce just Scorpius? No offense, but the three of them give a serious twilight zone vibe." Astoria had no idea what a 'twilight vibe' was, but based on the face Dianne made at him, it wasn't good. He just held her gaze. "You know I'm right."

"Yeah, whatever. We'll see how the day goes."

"Do you still want to finish this today?"

"Derek, we've lost fully half our break. Do you see me eating a second day with shopping? This is our tradition! I'm not going to let a heavy conversation change that."

"You know I really do appreciate you helping me avoid your mother's shopping right?" it seemed like a peace offering, especially considering Derek's weary tone.

"And you do the same for me. You know that."

"I'm worried about you."

"It's not like I'm selling my soul, Derek."

"I know a lot of frogs that would be safer if they avoided pans, whether empty, cold, or boiling." That completely indecipherable statement seemed to finally ease the tension, as Dianne smiled slightly, sighing heavily.

"I thought I was a scorpion?"

"Well, you're that too." His tone was teasing again. Their server returned, and Derek accepted his debit card back from her. He stood. "Come on, Cinderella. Let's go play fairy godmother." He paused a moment, both to wait as the others stood from the table, and apparently lost in thought. "Say—any truth in those classics?"

She laughed. "In the Brothers' Grimm version, sometimes. If you go far enough back and melt off all the Disney sugar. After I dug up one or two I decided I like my childhood enough not to continue."

"I won't trouble you with a re-telling then."

"Particularly not after eating." He raised an eyebrow, but she didn't elaborate.

"What classics?" Scorpius asked.

"Children's stories, mostly. Cute, innocent tales about princesses and the handsome princes who come, save them from peril, and sweep them away into romantic sunsets. Because the audience is so young the stories tend to be very clean, very simple, and always with a touch or two of magic. Some of it is plausible, but mostly it's just a nice bit of imagination."

"Cinderella is…?"

"She's one of the original princesses. Well, technically, she's just a town girl, but she marries a prince at the end, so she becomes a princess."

"Why would a prince marry a town girl?"

"Oh, a variety of reasons depending on the telling of it. She was the most beautiful of all the girls at the ball, or else he saw her help out an orphan and invited her to a ball where he falls in love, and so on."

"I always thought the fairy godmother must have put a spell on him. She messes with everything else." Derek's comment was delivered in too controlled a tone.

"Doesn't that kind of defeat the point of true love?" Dianne shot back.

"You tell me." It was clearly a challenge, and it didn't take much for Astoria to realize Derek still did not approve of Scorpius, regardless of whatever peace was holding between the cousins themselves. Dianne didn't respond to his hostility, instead purposefully returning her attention to Scorpius as the five of them began to walk towards their next destination.

"Disney is a company that's capitalized on already popular stories and made cute, innocent children's versions. They wrote music and movies—like plays that can be reproduced in the home—to accompany stories that had been a part of folklore for generations. They commercialized the whole thing. Most Muggles grow up thriving on their products."

"How can a play be reproduced in a home? Is it like a pensive?"

"I have no idea what a pensive is, so I can't say."

"Well, it's this bowl… it's enhanced with all sort of runes and such and you put your memories in it and you can view them."

"View them?"

"Yeah. You can go into the pensive and be just like you were there in the room, or you can set it up to where the pensive has the scene hover over the surface."

"Does the scene hover in 3D or 2D?" Astoria blinked at the question, and watched as Scorpius had much the same answer.

"Um…" Dianne searched for another way to ask it. "Does it act like a moving statue or a moving photo?"

"Statue."

"Well, a movie is like a photograph. Only, instead of holding just a few moment of time, it can be hours long and there's no interaction with the figures. A movie is always the same any time you watch it."

"And these are common?"

"Very."

"To what purpose?"

"They entertain, and some historians use factual movies, called documentaries, as historical evidence."

"Fascinating."

"Isn't it just?" Derek inserted himself into the conversation again, and Dianne turned away from Scorpius to give him a hard look.

"Play nice, THUMPER." The name seemed to mean something to Derek, who made a face and looked away.

"What does that mean?" Scorpius asked her, effectively recapturing her attention. As easy as he had seemed to be with Derek earlier, he was now much more hostile, matching Derek's own tension. His question showed that he was also slightly possessive. Being willing to give Derek Dianne's full attention while they had their serious discussion, Scorpius was now jealous of every moment of her time.

"Thumper is a character in a Disney movie who is famous for his line, 'If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all'."

"Seems like good advice."

"That's Disney wisdom for you."

"I'm going to have to see this Disney."

"We'll try to work it in." They had by this time returned to the vehicle where they had previously stored their purchases. Without a word, Derek opened a side panel and got in behind what appeared to be the controls. Astoria had seen cars before, and she had anticipated that a drive might be inevitable at some point, but that didn't mean that she was happy about it. Muggle cars were not at all like the Ministry of Magic ones that she and Draco borrowed whenever they had business in the Muggle world. It was bound to be very cramped.

"I need to sit in the front with Derek," Dianne told Scorpius. "There's three seats in the back, here," she opened a door. "You should be comfortable. And it's not a long drive." Scorpius did not immediately let go of her hand, and Dianne sighed.

"Please tell me you know what a car is."

"Of course I do!" Scorpius seemed offended by the idea he wouldn't, but then Dianne probably didn't know the honor the Malfoys had of being escorted into Ministry balls in the Ministry of Magic vehicles.

"Good." She gestured to the car, and Scorpius tentatively climbed in. Astoria found herself in the middle seat, and Draco quickly sat next to her.

Dianne closed the door behind them then climbed in herself.

"Make sure they buckle."

"Of course." Dianne responded neutrally to her cousin's slight hostility. She twisted in her seat to face them. "Take that strap" she gestured over Astoria's shoulder where a very stiff piece of cloth was sitting against the seat, "pull it across your body, and there should be a metal piece—yes, that—push that metal tongue into the slot by your hip." After a bit more directing, Astoria was able to fit the contraption together. "Scorpius, yours is over your other shoulder, by the door. Yours as well, Mr. Malfoy."

It took a few minutes before they were all situated, and Astoria was glad the ride had promised to be short. Their shoulders were touching and the strap across her body was wrinkling her dress. She would hate to see an uncomfortable ride by these standards. What was wrong with the 'tube' they had taken before?

Derek did something with the controls in front of him and there was a roar. Dianne secured her own strap as the car suddenly moved backwards. A full ten minutes passed as Derek navigated the car around other vehicles and a variety of obstacles, seeming to respond to signals she never saw as he stopped, slowed, and accelerated without ever hitting anyone or being hit. It was almost impressive. Finally they arrived at and entered another store.

Like before, this one held wracks of clothes, most of them dresses. Dianne was much pickier this time as she moved through the store, choosing only seven dresses out of the fifty or so that were available. Two of them Astoria would have classified as 'tea dresses' while the other five were clearly of a more formal caliber. Dianne modeled every dress, and received commentary from the store personnel as well as getting Scorpius' opinion. Not that her son was much help, since the Veela was having enough trouble listening to the criticisms others were giving its mate and would not allow Scorpius a word against her.

It was easy to choose the black and red 'tea' dress over the other gold and green one, since it fit her much better and the red sweater helped keep her from being washed out. None of the more formal dresses were deemed acceptable, however, until Derek took the opportunity of her changing to bring over an emerald floor-length dress. It had a beautiful scoop neck and a low back, edged in black. It fit perfectly, beautifully, and one of the clerks brought over black elbow-length gloves to complete the look. It was immediately apparent to Astoria that with the right hair style and a touch more poise, Dianne would have been easily accepted at the Zabini's Christmas ball.

As it turned out, the dresses were the easy part. They now had to find Scorpius formal wear to match, and Derek seemed determined to make sure his outfit was coordinated with both of theirs. Dianne finally solved the problem at the fourth men's store they tried. Derek would be in a black suit, white shirt, and striped emerald and black tie. Scorpius would be in a black suit and shirt, a green vest, and a silver satin tie. Derek didn't look happy, but accepted it nonetheless. Astoria tried not to smile at the coincidence of the Slytherin colors.

By the time they had finished it was five in the evening. When they exited the last store, Derek waited to get in the car, staring over the top of it at Dianne.

"Your father will be home in half an hour with mine in tow, assuming the plane isn't delayed. How do you want to play this?" She sighed, then looked directly at Scorpius.

"I need an honest answer."

"Alright." He seemed wary, but ready. A full day with Dianne and almost constant contact had done wonders for him. He was healthier than Astoria had seen him since August.

"Can you face my parents without your parents along?"

Scorpius didn't answer, just stared at her. Evidently he hadn't understood when Derek mentioned this possibility in the restaurant, because he seemed completely blindsided by it. "Why?" he finally asked.

"Well, your curiosity is an obstacle all on its own, without having three of you clueless. Additionally, it sets a very different mood for all of you to show up versus just you. There's going to be enough players in this game without your parents too. I don't think this will go badly, but even if it does I'm not sure what they can do to help things. Frankly, your family's a little…intimidating."

Scorpius considered her a moment longer.

"Whatever you think is best."

"I think your chances are infinitely better alone." Derek interjected. "When Dianne's father sees all of you, he'll assume she's pregnant."

"DEREK!"

"You know it's true."

"I would hardly… I've never…!" Dianne seemed as scandalized by the idea of a bastard child as Astoria felt. "How could you say that?"

"Your father is not the most rational man in the world. And really—what is he supposed to think if you show up with a guy he's never heard, his overly anxious parents in tow, and announce your engagement?"

"What do you suggest then?"

"I suggest you introduce your boyfriend, make a comment about how seriously magical your time together has been, and then avoid like the devil. Eat dinner. Let him charm them. Then, when your mother cannot hold her curiosity a moment longer, get them alone and explain it all. No run-around."

"Why are you helping?" Again, the conversation between them had gotten personal and intense, blocking out the presence of the Malfoys. Looking in, Astoria was very glad that their relationship was so familial. If Dianne had had a 'boyfriend' she was as close to, Scorpius might be in a very different position right now. Even when the two were fighting, it was obvious that they cared deeply about each other. It seemed like half of what they said had a second or third meaning, and both clearly hated being at odds.

"I may not be happy with you committing yourself to a culture that persecutes you, but I don't want to see him dead any more than you do, and I'd rather not spend the next three weeks in a battlefield." He sighed. "I'm not pleased with the situation, Dianne, but I am very proud of the way you're handling it. I'm sorry if I didn't convey that."

"You…" she glanced away, exasperated, and made a noise in the back of her throat before she refocused. "I've been agonizing over this since..."

"Good. Every persuasion you've come up with to use against me is likely going to be needed for our fathers. Now, if we hurry we can beat the men home and let your mother get an impression unaffected by my father's… colorful… views."

"Thank you, Derek."

"Anything. You know that." She smiled at him, and he smiled at her. Scorpius couldn't help but reinsert himself into their conversation.

"So… are we good?" Derek looked at him and then gave a slight chuckle.

"Sure. You haven't done anything shady yet. I have no complaint against you. So yeah, we're good." Astoria sighed in relief again. It was obvious that Derek's acceptance of Scorpius was cautious, but it _was_ acceptance. Derek turned to the two eldest Malfoys next. "Where can we drop you off?"

"We will apparate home." Draco answered him. "If you need us, Scorpius, you can reach us by calling one of the elves." Derek was clearly confused, but he didn't ask.

"Of course." Astoria couldn't help but smile at the offended teenage independence in her son's tone. It was good to see Scorpius have some spirit again.

"Come on you two." Derek cut short any goodbyes by dropping into his seat and letting the car roar, obviously ready to go. Astoria laughed at the relief on Scorpius' face.

"Be safe." She bid her son.

"I'll see you soon." He replied, climbing into the back seat. Astoria felt Draco come to stand behind her as they watched the vehicle drive away and become lost in the traffic.

* * *

><p>As he drove through London traffic toward his uncle's home, Derek listened to Dianne give Scorpius further advice and explanations. It was good to hear them talk. Scorpius was curious, and often seemed rather impressed by what she described. Without his parents around Scorpius had relaxed even further, although that could also be a result of the understanding between Dianne and himself.<p>

Derek had meant what he said about being proud of her, and he fully understood what she meant when she asked him for alternatives. There was no denying that Scorpius had steadily improved throughout the day, which lent credence to the rather fantastic claim that he would die without Dianne. Scorpius was still watching her closely, leaning forward from the middle seat to be as near to her as possible, but he seemed to have lost his obsessive need to be always touching her. Perhaps, as he recovered, Dianne would have more power to set her own boundaries.

Dianne had explained her way through computers, sort of, the internet, toasters, electric lighting, coffee, McDonalds, iPods, and garbage disposal and was trying to explain how the sewage system worked when Derek felt compelled to speak up.

"As useful as all that is, you might want to warn him about my father." Dianne gave him a single glance. It was easy for him to read her—she was simply checking that he was comfortable with his own suggestion, offering an apology for how awkward this was bound to be.

"I keep hearing about him. Should I be worried?" Scorpius, also, glanced at Derek without ever losing focus on Dianne.

"Uncle Richard is an opinionated man." Derek cut her off, refusing to allow her competition persona to re-emerge. It was one thing for her to use that in defense against the elder Malfoys who were constantly judging her, and another for her to use it against Scorpius himself. Regardless of how awkward she was, if she intended to follow through with this incredible relationship she needed to be real with her… _fiancé?_

"You mean he's an incredibly vocal bigot." Dianne quieted, giving Derek another _look_. She didn't want to talk badly about his father in front of him, which he respected. So he spared her the necessity. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he'd be the sort of wizard to say 'Mudblood' no matter the company. He's forceful, he's arrogant, and he is _not_ going to take kindly to the idea of magic."

"And your father?" Scorpius asked Dianne. "You were worried you might have to be emancipated, and Derek asked the same thing."

"My father is an entirely different kettle of fish. He won't have a problem with you, specifically. He just doesn't want me dating at all until I am eighteen. It will take him a little while to realize that our situation is unique, and then he'll be fine with it. You see, our fathers have an older sister, Aunt Summer, who was very much a wild child. She ran off and got pregnant when she was 16, and then tried to elope with a fake ID. We both jumped to emancipation because that's what she tried to do when lying about her age failed, and we've heard the story often."

"Does that happen often, in the Muggle world? Bastard children?"

"Yes. But be careful with that word—it's a pretty offensive term, even when it's the truth. Very few Muggles are virgins when they are married for the first time."

Scorpius didn't know how to react to that but his face reflected his scandalized thoughts. Derek laughed lightly. "Yeah. We have about the same opinion on what this world considers _morals_. I didn't mean to shock you or drag up family history. I just wanted to warn you not to take everything that's said tonight too seriously."

"Thank you, I suppose." The Veela protested at anyone telling him how to treat his mate and her family, but Scorpius took a deep breath and forced himself to listen to Derek. He'd been extremely protective all day, even if it was protective against the wrong enemy, and he clearly cared for Dianne. His judgment could be trusted. He was family.

"No problem, man." Derek turned onto their street, but stopped at the corner in front of a public park. "Come on, let's get you into some real clothes." Scorpius realized he was still wearing the suit his father had transfigured and scrambled to follow Derek who was already digging through the boot of the car, searching for the semi-casual clothes they had bought before lunch. Finally he came up with what he was looking for—a pair of gray slacks, a black t-shirt, and a blue and grey plaid button-up collared shirt.

"Trust me. This is the first impression you want to make." Scorpius took the clothes from Derek cautiously, and Derek walked him over to the public restrooms, explaining the concept as he went, having correctly interpreted his hesitation. By the time they made it back to the car, Dianne had touched up her make-up and rolled the lint off her jeans, as Derek had known she would. No matter how she hid it, he could tell she was nervous.

Derek then drove them the remaining half-block to his uncle's house. They each gathered up the first armload of items—their haul would take several trips to carry in—and headed up to the front door. Dianne did not announce her presence to the house, instead making straight for her room where she deposited her things on her bed while Derek showed Scorpius to the guest room they'd be sharing with Josh. His aunt was already hugging Dianne and asking her a thousand questions as the two of them returned to the foyer, and they slipped past the women to gather the next bags.

"Give them a moment. Let the introduction be causal, we Muggles don't stand much on ceremony." Derek tried not to be bitter and self-depreciatingly sarcastic, but it was a herculean effort.

"Yeah, I gathered as much from the way she introduced us to you." Derek gave the other teen a smile. He was doing much better from the nervous wreck he'd been that morning. Had it only been 6 hours since he met the blond? "So where's your mother? Shouldn't you be dealing with an armful of woman as well?"

"She left. Well, technically, my father left and took us kids with him, along with pretty much everything else, and she eventually got tired of fighting him and found herself another chew toy."

"Sorry." The apology was sincere, but also confused.

"I'll let Dianne translate, since I'm not sure what the parallels would be."

"Thank you for the thought."

"No skin off my teeth." That earned him a genuine (if confused) smile as they passed back through the entryway, and it could not have been better timed. Aunt Helen looked up at the perfect moment to see the roguish expression overtake Scorpius' face, and looked back at Dianne in time to miss Derek's encouraging wink but in plenty of time to see her answering grin.

"What is this?" Her voice was high pitched as always, but she was well meaning.

"Mom, this is Scorpius. Scorpius, my mother, Helen Reed."

Scorpius gave a half-bow, holding out his hand for hers. She gave it to him awkwardly, expecting a shake, but he easily kissed the back of it, murmuring, "My pleasure, Madam Reed." Derek wanted to give him a back-slap for how perfectly he'd played that. Aunt Helen flushed a bit, gave a quick glance to Dianne who was still grinning, and then looked back at the now straightening Scorpius who had just dropped her hand.

"Well, well," she had to take a deep breath. "Well, a pleasure to meet you as well, young man. But please, just call me Miss Helen. All the kids do…"

"I'm going to help them unload," Dianne said, grabbing Scorpius' elbow as she passed, directing him easily outside. Derek followed behind, still laughing quietly at how well Scorpius had charmed Helen Reed. He wasn't sure what he thought of Scorpius specifically, but Derek could see that Dianne would need her parents support, and that would likely mean their support of Scorpius.

"Mom's an elementary school teacher—2nd grade, ah, about 7 years old usually. That's what she means by 'the kids'. She's used to Miss Helen, since there are two Mrs. Reeds on campus it is easier for Mum to go by Helen."

"What does she teach?"

"Everything: math, reading, writing, history, some simple sciences… anything she can get the kids to listen too, especially if it makes them think." They gathered up the last of the purchases, leaving them on the beds again. Before they left Dianne's room, she stopped Scorpius. "When will the trunks be delivered?"

"Whenever you're ready."

"It might be better to have any magic now, before the men get home."

"Alright. Here's good?" Dianne nodded, and Scorpius said to thin air, "Dipsy."

Whatever Derek was expecting, it was not for a small, greenish, humanoid figure to suddenly appear in front of them with a loud CRACK, dressed in a toga… or was that a towel? Dianne also jumped, startled. Evidently this side of magic was new for her too. Scorpius immediately looked to Dianne, worried, but Dianne just looked between the…person and Scorpius a few times before saying very quietly, "A house-elf, I presume?"

Scorpius nodded. "You've never seen one before?"

"No, I've only read about them."

"Oh. Well, Dipsy is one of the Malfoy family house elves. She's been working for us for generations."

"Does Master require service of Dipsy?" The thing's voice was sweet, and Derek couldn't help but think it matched the short, cute nose and curling ears. Large eyes peered between Scorpius and Dianne, seeming to look right past Derek himself.

"Ah, yes. Please collect our trunks from the Hogwart's elves and deliver them here. Then inform my parents that I am doing well. I'm sure Mother is worried."

"Yes, Master she is. Dipsy is doing as shes is told now." With another CRACK the elf was gone as though she had never been there. Derek blinked. Well, if he wasn't believer a before, he was now.

"Alright after your first real demonstration of magic?" Dianne was grinning at him.

"Of course. Let's go find your mother before she comes in here, looking for whatever you're breaking."

"I'll be there in a moment, I want to hang up my clothes."

"Don't worry about it. Dipsy will handle it. She won't be able to help herself." Something about Scorpius' reassurance seemed vaguely disturbing, but Derek decided now was not the time to inquire into house-elves' working contracts. Even so, he filed the information away for another day, just in case. The teens found Aunt Helen in the kitchen, standing over the stove.

She smiled at them when they came in. "Did you kids have a nice time today?"

"Yep. Found everything we needed, too. You're going to love my Sunday dress—it's red with the most beautiful black geometrics on the print."

"And your gown for the Christmas Eve banquet?"

"Yes, mother."

"Well…" her tone was teasing, clearly asking for details.

"You'll just have to be surprised."

"That good, huh?" Derek laughed, not at the banter between mother and daughter but at the sidelong glance Helen gave Scorpius when she thought he wasn't looking. "So, why didn't you warn me about Scorpius coming over?"

Dianne purposefully misinterpreted the question. Maybe those summers of debate camp hadn't been such a good idea. "He _can_ stay, right? You said my friends were always welcome and I just thought…" Aunt Helen quickly reassured her daughter.

"No dear, it isn't a problem and at all. In fact, it's rather nice to meet another of your friends, besides just Catherine." _Well played, Dianne! _"But really… you couldn't have given your father and I some heads up?"

Dianne sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she leaned against the counter next to Scorpius. He snaked and arm around her back, resting it on the counter but still in contact with her. Derek had to stifle another laugh when the motions caused Aunt Helen's eyebrows to flee for her hairline.

Dianne blushed at her mother's intense look. "It's kind of complicated. I'd really rather only explain it once." Derek decided it was time for him to throw the pair a rope. Having Aunt Helen as an ally was too important to risk on the immense amusement the scene was giving him.

"Trust me Aunt Helen, it's all on the up-and-up, even if it's a bit unorthodox."

"You knew about this?"

"Since this morning. I started out as skeptical as you, but like I said, they've got my support." More specifically, Dianne did. And if Scorpius knew what was good for him, supporting Dianne would also be supporting Scorpius. This clearly helped his Aunt to relax some and her eyebrows began to inch back to their normal place.

"Very well then." A timer went off, and they all jumped a bit at the beeping.

"That's the bread dear, pull it out for me." The next fifteen minutes were spent in last minute dinner preparations, as Derek and Dianne helped get dishes on the table.

Aunt Helen overheard Dianne explaining the concept of a timer to Scorpius, but once informed that this was Scorpius' first voyage into the Muggle world, she began explaining all sorts of things to him. She stopped abruptly every time Derek entered the kitchen, until Dianne told her she'd gotten special permission to let Derek in on the secret. Derek wasn't sure how much good Aunt Helen's explanations were doing, since they were a lot less simple and more rambling than Dianne's, but at least both Helen and Scorpius were occupied. Scorpius was doing an excellent job of being gracious, and nodding as though he understood, so Derek was willing to guess that he would be Helen's favorite person by dinner.

The men arrived home at 5:45 with Josh in tow. Under the guise of carrying in the luggage, Derek pulled his brother aside.

"Tonight I need you to buckle up and follow my lead. Things are going to get ugly."

"Why?"

"Dianne brought home a guy, somewhere between a stranger and a fiancé, that her parents have never met. There's a good reason for it, but explaining it is going to put our father up in arms."

"Then you might not want to do it tonight. He's irritable from the plane ride."

"We don't really have a choice."

"Who is he?"

"Name's Scorpius Malfoy. He seems like a decent enough sort."

"Your tone doesn't match your words."

"No time to explain, we're going to be missed. Just… no matter what happens tonight, please follow my lead. There's a lot at stake here. We could lose Dianne if things go down wrong."

"That serious?"

"Oh yeah." Derek led his brother back to the dining room, where the others were already seated. The two men faced each other across the table, with Aunt Helen and Scorpius on either of his uncle's hands, with Dianne beside Scorpius, and an empty seat on her other side. Derek took that seat immediately, leaving Josh to sit between Aunt Helen and their father. Dianne was just finishing up introductions as they sat down, gesturing to Josh as he entered.

"…that's Josh, he's 17, and of course you know Derek."

"A pleasure to meet you all." Scorpius was still in his very courteous demeanor, but it wouldn't be enough to save him. As the food dishes were passed around for everyone to serve themselves, Uncle Henry seemed to decide that it was better not to ignore the white elephant in the room.

"The same to you," he focused on Dianne, "even if it is a little short notice." Dianne met her father's gaze steadily, but kept her posture relaxed. Confident, not confrontational.

"I know, and I apologize. But things have been a little crazy since this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yes. It's a rather long story, and I'd rather not get into it over dinner, especially when I haven't seen you for months! How was your business trip to Hong-Kong? You never told me if you got the contract."

"We haven't seen you either, you realize. Don't change the subject."

"Honey," Aunt Helen intervened and Derek was infinitely thankful to whatever deity might be watching that she had had a chance to meet Scorpius before everyone else, "please." The plea would have worked, if not for his father.

"Helen, you know it's rude to talk business at the table. Besides, we've all heard about that already."

Derek nudged Josh under the table and he jumped on the opening. "But none of them have heard about the auction, Father."

"Yes, how did it go?" Derek asked. "Did you get the _Ballerina_ like you hoped?"

"No. The thing went for thirteen million if you can believe that! I don't love Williams' work that much. There was an understudy there worth noting though. Good work in granite. I got four pieces for the LA penthouse. A bit abstract, but worth following." His father continued on that vein for a while, helped along by Josh's own opinions and Derek's questions. Eventually the conversation segued into Josh's recent accomplishments, and from there into his upcoming competitions.

"They released the bills for the Berkley invitational at midnight last night, and you're gonna love them, Dianne."

"How many are we looking at this time?"

"25 for the opening houses, then 12 for semis and 7 for finals. They are running 3 hour houses." Dianne nodded, absorbing the geek speak and already strategizing. Beside her, Scorpius continued to sit quietly and listen intently. It wasn't difficult for Derek to see that Scorpius considered his confusion a small price to pay to avoid drawing attention to himself.

"How many foreign topics, how many social, economic…"

"Well, a lot on the ICC, there's a bill in each set but I suspect the POs will hold those until the finals. There's some international cooperation, Africa aid, space station, that sort of thing." Uncle Henry cut in before the conversation could continue.

"Alright you two. Relishing in your victories is one thing, but you know it's rude to discuss business and politics at the table. Your strategizing consists of both." And just like that, Henry was back in control of the conversation. Dianne wasn't the only person in the room capable of maneuvering a conversation. They'd done a good job of slowing the conversation, and the meal was mostly gone now, but the time for reckoning had come. Henry turned toward Scorpius almost casually, but Derek wondered if anyone except Aunt Helen was fooled. "So, Scorpius, how long do you think you'll be with us?"

"We plan to be here until the 27th, sir." Scorpius could not have been more polite, but even that wasn't enough to do much to blunt the edge of Henry's purpose.

"We?" Henry focused suddenly on Dianne, but she didn't seem at all affected by his hard stare.

"Well it's only fair we spend New Years with the Malfoys, since Scorpius will be here for Christmas." So calm, so controlled. Like it was the most natural thing in the world and there was no reason to make any excuses.

"And all this was planned this morning? No asking for permission, not so much as a phone call to let us know of your change of plans?" Dianne met his gaze steadily.

"If I could have, Daddy, I would have."

"And not even a mention of him in your letters, which have been more and more infrequent."

"I missed one letter, and I explained why. This year is critical, and I could not afford to blow that project. I skipped meals for it! A letter was the least of my worries. You know the Potions Master hates me." She dropped the title like it wasn't a bomb shell, focusing on her father completely, but Derek saw that both Josh and his father caught the 'slip'. Derek prayed Uncle Henry would drop the obviously magical topic. The last thing they needed was to discuss this in front of his father. But the Reeds were too much alike—too competitive, and completely blinded by the need to prove themselves right. They were oblivious to their audience, and it hadn't taken two sentences to get there.

"That doesn't excuse you not mentioning him!"

"I only formally met him last night. Other than passing in the halls, today was our first solid conversation." That gave her a moment of silence to work with, and she let the information sink in, let her parents try to square that with the obvious affection they'd seen. Then, before she could lose the lead of the conversation, she continued. If it had been a debate, he would give her full points for control of the audience and the flow. In life, he wouldn't even give her a passing grade for appropriate timing and forging peace. Worst of all, he couldn't think of anything to say to stop the train wreck, and he couldn't look away. "Our situation is unique. I didn't even know it was possible before today." She looked directly at her mother. "We are sort of… well, soul mates." Technically, a half truth as best he knew since Dianne wasn't affected. At least she followed it up with blunt honesty. "If we're separated, Scorpius will die." Uncle Henry immediately saw the out.

"You won't?"

"No. But that doesn't change anything." Derek saw Scorpius shift slightly. Had he not understood how seriously she was taking this? No one wanted a death on Dianne's conscience. That thought was the only thing that had kept him calm today. "Scorpius is a Veela, and they only have one true mate. If they are separated from that mate, no matter why, they cannot survive. As I said, I only found out this morning and everything has been a little hectic since." Uncle Henry was studying her carefully, but he nodded, smart enough to hold his judgment until he had all the information he needed.

Dianne had won the debate, controlled the conversation and even opened her parents' minds. Now she had to deal with the repercussions of that delivery, and Derek took a silent moment to pray that it didn't cost the family permanently.

"Henry, don't tell me you're taking this seriously! Soul mates? Really? And what the hell is a Veela?"

Dianne answered immediately, still in her competition mode. But his father wasn't hers—he had conversations and emotions like a normal human. If he could have thought fast enough to lie convincingly, he would have. But he couldn't, so he didn't, and then Dianne was speaking. "A Veela is a magical person of passion and…" again, the casual reference. It was clear that Dianne paid attention to thousands of pounds invested in summer debate camps and yet had missed the entirely crucial fact that subtle debate tactics aimed at judges were never intended to diffuse familial disputes.

"MAGIC!"

"Yes, Uncle, magic. Magic is real."

"Bullshit!"

"What do you think healed Mum nine years ago?" The table went deathly silent and Derek nearly choked. That had been a hard Christmas for all of them, with the whole family, even Aunt Summer, in mourning, waiting for the day to say goodbye.

"That… you mean to say you brought in some witchcraft voodoo…"

"No. We didn't bring in anyone. I healed her through a transfer of magic and life-force."

"You mean to tell me you're a witch!"

"Yes. That's what they teach at Hogwarts, my boarding school. It's a school for Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Do you want to know what I think?" His father didn't wait for an answer. "I think you're nuts. I think you've gotten yourself knocked up in some satanic ritual and now you're crying back here with a story of true love to beg for your parent's hard earned money."

"What bigotry cannot overpower with temper it will attempt to stun with ignorance." The delivery was still calm and controlled, but Derek was no longer sure if Dianne was trying to win some sort of twisted competition she'd invented in her own mind or just wind his father up for kicks.

"Is that so?"

"There isn't a spell in the world that requires sex."

"And you can do magic."

"You know it. You were there when I healed my mother. And whether you want to remember it or not, you know magic exists."

"If you are not a liar, you are a sorceress, an abomination before the Lord."

"And you're in a position to throw the first stone?"

"When it comes to Devil's-spawn such as you, I think he'll make an exception."

"Devil's Spawn." Not a protest, just a stunned repetition, a blank question. Finally, something had broken through. Now the question remained if they could pick up the pieces.

"Yes. Scripture makes it clear that to be a witch is to be a consort of hell." Silence met his accusation.

-Chapter End. 11,400 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, thank you for reading. I know that the language I chose to use in this chapter is extremely offensive. I agonized over whether to use it, whether to actually print it, and so on. I finally made the decision I did because I wanted us all to realize and remember the power that words can have and to think about just how much hate can effect an entire culture for generations. If this chapter made you uncomfortable, I admit it was partially my goal.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	3. Reverbiration

**CHAPTER THREE: Reverberation**

Dianne tried not to show how affected she was by her uncle's words. She had known he was going to be difficult about this, had in fact been planning around it, and trying to think how to soften his judgment or—if necessary—use it to her advantage with the family she _could_ convince. But being braced for his hate didn't make it any easier to bear. This was part of why she had never pushed the statute of secrecy to tell her extended family about who she really was. She could feel Scorpius beside her, also, stiff and leaning forward, about to wade into the argument, and she didn't know how to stop him or even if she really wanted to.

"_No one_ talks about my daughter like that." Dianne looked at her father in surprise. She knew that he had accepted the truth of her abilities when it became apparent that he could not change it, but she never expected him to defend her against his brother. Despite the occasional tension between Uncle Richard and the rest of the family, the two brothers had always been very close.

"It's the TRUTH!"

"It's hateful and ignorant bigotry, and I won't have it in my house." Richard quieted at his brother's rebuke, but he wasn't finished yet.

"It's evil and dangerous, and I won't let my boys be exposed to it." Uncle Richard stood, throwing his napkin onto his plate and glaring across the table at her father. "Come on boys, we're leaving." Josh began to rise, then froze and stared at Derek, who hadn't moved.

"Please Father, put aside your prejudice just for a moment." Derek kept his voice steady, not looking to upset the situation further. "Sit down. Please."

"No, Richard, don't bother." Her father dismissed Derek's plea with a wave of his hand, as though to scatter the sentiment. "I believe it's clear that we won't have any peace with you here. Perhaps it would be better for you to leave." Richard gave him a look before returning focus to Derek.

"Are you going to pick a witch over your own family?" Uncle Richard accused her cousin, seeming to agree with her father that it would be better for all involved that he leave, and soon.

"She _is_ family, Father. In fact, right now I'd rather claim her as family than you."

"You are choosing a heathen over…" Richard didn't get to finish.

"I'm not as strictly religious as you, so I could be wrong, but I don't remember any commands to hate a child for the way she was born. In fact, I can give you quite a lot of commands to the contrary, calling for unconditional love, but not a single one for blind, unreasonable hate."

Uncle Richard stood and seethed, but knew he was outnumbered. "Come on, Josh."

"No."

"Stay out of this Derek!"

"No. Josh stays here tonight. He can meet up with you in the morning, but he's not going anywhere with you tonight. Not when you're in a temper like this." There was a long, very heavy silence. Dianne could not think of any time when she had seen her uncle so enraged. His face was red with the effort to keep from yelling and his hands had curled into white knuckled fists, and for a moment she wondered if he intended to punch Derek.

"You dare to insinuate…" Her uncle put a hand on Josh's shoulder in a motion that was … protective?...possessive? Dianne could not define it. Derek, however, must have been more successful because he bristled and met his father's challenge.

"Yes. I dare, and I believe I have a right to. Take your hand off my brother." Dianne had the feeling she was missing something important, but knew that this was Derek's conversation now.

"Derek—"

"Or what?"

"Father—"

"Or I'll break it. Again." Both Josh and Richard reacted as though Derek had slapped them, or had betrayed a great confidence, but Uncle Richard did slowly return his hand to his side. Then he turned and strode from the house, not stopping for his suitcase or for anything else. The door slammed hard behind him.

There was a long pause before Josh broke the silence, slumping back into his seat. "Was that really necessary?" He was staring at the table, refusing to look at his brother.

"I believe so." They shared a long look, before Josh turned to Dianne in a move that seemed to be designed more as a dismal than an actual expression of interest.

"So… magic, huh?" Josh laughed nervously, looking at Scorpius quickly for a moment before focusing on Dianne. She nodded, laughing a bit breathlessly as well.

"Yeah. Wands, incantations, potions… some of it is nothing like any legend I've ever heard. And some are so close to accurate I wonder how the whole world doesn't know magic exists."

"And you had to tell my father? Why not just…" he trailed off. Dianne understood immediately. She had attended Hogwarts for six years without having to split the family like this.

Rather than give an actual explanation, she took the short-cut (backdoor) out and overextended the argument to its most extreme conclusion. "Well, I could have disappeared into the wizarding world, I suppose. Almost three quarters of all Muggleborns do, even if they don't stay in England. There's even a sub-department of the Ministry of Magic devoted to staging the deaths of Muggleborns to give their families closure."

Josh blanched at the idea of what it would have done to the family, to be informed of her death now. "That's…that's not at all what I meant! Why not just… keep the secret?"

"Then we'd have been screaming about me being a worthless whore. I'd rather be damned for what I did than damned for what I didn't." Dianne could tell that her language shocked her family. But Dianne knew the power of words, and she understood that there were times to censor her vocabulary and times to go for the kill, using every weapon in her arsenal. While defending Scorpius' life was not the time to pull punches, and given Richard's demonstration it was pretty clear he wasn't in the mood to pull punches.

Josh looked away, and Dianne judged that she had won that round. She could afford to give him some rope back now. "I'm sorry Josh. I didn't mean…" she let it trail off. She had meant it—most of it anyways—but 'it' had been aimed quite effectively at his father. Unlike Derek, Josh was still relatively close to Uncle Richard. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, I just…" Josh held up one hand, forestalling whatever he thought was coming next.

"Just, don't, alright. Jeez, Di. You sure know how to throw a curveball. Give me a day to process, alright?" Dianne nodded. That was more than she had hoped for. In all honesty, she had expected that Richard would take Josh with him when he eventually stormed out and that by the time she saw either of them again Josh would at best be guarded and defensive. Derek she knew she could count on; and she had expected her parents to come around eventually. But she had been very, very aware of the distinct possibility of losing her cousin and uncle.

Josh stood from the table, grabbing his dishes. "Thank you for a wonderful meal, Aunt Helen, but I think I'm going to go to bed now." Her mother nodded, and rose as well, also clearing dishes.

"Of course, honey. Here, leave those plates in the sink. We'll get them." Josh left the room without saying another word. "Sleep well!" She called out after him. Dianne watched him go silently, but he didn't glance at her.

Dianne quickly rose as well, collecting dishes and clearing food. She sensed Derek do the same, but heard her father stop Scorpius with a quiet, "Best leave them to it. Too many people in that kitchen and it can get crowded." When she returned for another load of dishes, they were sitting silently: Scorpius looking twitchy and nervously staring at his hands, her father too calm for him not to be using his poker face. As her mother started filling the sink and Derek scraped leftovers into storage Tupperware, Dianne listened in on the dining room conversation, drying and stacking dishes silently.

"So, I take it at least one of your parents are magical?"

"Yes sir, they both are. My family is pure wizard for several generations."

"This must be odd for you then. I remember how different everything in Diagon Alley is from London."

"It's been an interesting day, sir. I really appreciated your nephew's help with our shopping."

"They have been doing that shopping gig for years. They both hate Helen fussing over their wardrobes, so they shop together and handle it all in one go." Derek had finished the left-overs, and he rinsed his hands in the dishwater.

"I'm going to go talk to Josh." He murmured, slipping out of the kitchen and through the dining without interrupting the conversation.

"I must say it was very efficient. I wish I could get through my own wardrobe renewals as easily. My mother would never hear of it, of course, but it's a nice thought." The conversation stagnated awkwardly and Dianne had to resist the temptation to find some excuse to return to the dining room to judge their expressions.

It was her father that broke the silence. "I must admit that this…situation…worries me."

"What about it, sir?"

"Well, I guess I don't know how these things work in your culture, son, but I'm not at all comfortable with handing my baby girl off to some teenager I've never met before. I don't know you, or your family, and not to accuse you of anything but it's my daughter you're talking about. Dianne has never even dated! And now you're…soul mates?"

"Not exactly, sir. Dianne… she doesn't have to do this."

"But if she doesn't, you die. How is that anything short of the worst manipulation?"

"Sir, I would never hurt your daughter. I love her."

"And how do you know what would hurt her, if you two only met this morning?" Scorpius had no answer to that. "Explain to me exactly what would happen, if she were to, let's say, ask for you to wait until she's eighteen. That was always our intention, for her not to date until she was an adult. What would happen?"

"I…I don't understand why that would be necessary. Why wait if we're going to…date…anyways?"

"Just answer the question. What would happen?"

"I… I can't say. There's not a lot of precedent to judge off of. The Veela needs its mate. I suppose, if we could see each other, and if we talked and touched and…"

"Then you wouldn't really be waiting, would you? So, what, if you go a day without seeing Dianne you just drop dead—instantly?"

"No sir. It would start emotionally—worry, depression, or anger—depending on why we were separated. Then, the physical symptoms would set in. Headaches, fatigue, cramps, dizziness, eventually coma and death."

"Over the course of an hour? A day?"

"It would depend. A month, maybe. A couple months, if I know my parents they'd do very thing they could to prolong it, to hope that Dianne might…"

"You mean they'd try to guilt her into being with you."

"Sir, I want nothing more than Dianne's happiness."

"Then why the spectacle this evening? With just a few hours alone she might have been able to tell her mother and me of the situation and together we could have worked out a cover that would not include estranging me from my brother! If her happiness is paramount, why are you making this so difficult for her?"

Long silence, while Dianne paid studious attention to the dishes she was drying and stacking, not looking at her mother. She had known that the situation with her uncle would be bad, but she hadn't really expected it to blow up her face that badly. She'd meant to pull her parents aside and explain things later that night, but when her Dad started in on her correspondence _again_—the hypocrite—after she'd already explained multiple times and then when Richard… Well, perhaps she should have called her parents instead of Derek and tried to work out another solution instead of just putting her head down and going on as though… what?

What had she expected? That Scorpius would just somehow magically fit into her life as is? That she wouldn't have to adapt what she wanted now that his life depended on her? That _anything_ about this would be alright?

"I… I had no idea that things would go so badly. Dianne gave me no indication of the magnitude of his likely response. She warned me it would be hard for him to accept, but…" an awkward pause. "I had no idea magic was so... controversial." Scorpius voice showed how sincerely sorry he was for the way things had transpired that night. It seemed to calm her father just a little.

"I see." When Scorpius did not respond, he moved on to the next topic of concern. "Well, tell me about yourself."

"Um, I'm seventeen, I came of age last March. My father is Draco Malfoy, he's a politician and I will be too, once I graduate from Hogwarts this year. I've gotten near perfect marks in the academic subjects—I even kept History of Magic through NEWTs year. Not many do, but Father insisted. He's thinking of turning over our seat and house headship to me in a few years so he can become an ambassador."

"What does that mean? Turning over a seat or a…headship?"

"Well, the Malfoys hold a hereditary seat in the Wizengamot which is held and voted by the Head of House Malfoy or by the appointed representative thereof. Being the Head of House means I would have full access and control over the House's assets- the finances, the estates, and any contracts."

"So I shouldn't worry over how you will support Dianne?"

"No sir!" Scorpius seemed appalled at the idea. "House Malfoy is very well established. Even if I were not to be the head, I would be more than capable of supporting my family from my own investments."

"Investments?"

"Yes sir. My father gave me a portfolio when turned I turned 16. It has grown 12 percent under my management."

"That is quite impressive."

"Thank you sir."

"Dianne, if you are finished in there you may stop eavesdropping now. I intend to speak with Scorpius alone." Her father didn't raise his voice or in any way change his tone from the controlled voice he'd been using with Scorpius, but Dianne knew better than to protest. She gave a small smile to her mother, who did not return it, and then walked quickly down the hall, not looking at either her father or Scorpius as she passed the dining room. Her father had made excellent points about how the evening had been handled. How had she been so focused on Scorpius that she had missed the cost to her own family?

* * *

><p>Derek moved quickly away from the doorway of the dining room, knowing that his uncle's warning against eavesdropping applied to him as much as to his cousin. He slid into the guest room that more or less belonged to him and Josh, trying to read his brother's body language. Josh was lying down on the far bed, facing the window and didn't move when he came in. He was hurt then. Very hurt.<p>

"I'm sorry Josh."

"You promised. You promised that you would never mention it again."

Oh. So that's what this was about. Of course that was what this was about. "Would you have preferred to go with him? Would you have felt safe?"

"Damn you Derek." The words were not any less heartfelt for being whispered. "I would have been fine!"

"One wrong comment..."

"I know how to keep him calm. Do you think I don't know better than to bring up-" Derek didn't wait for his brother to finish.

"You shouldn't have to watch what you say to avoid a broken jaw!"

"It wasn't broken!"

"Because I caught his fist! I will _not_, not now or ever, allow him to put you at risk again."

"So what, you trust us to travel all over the world without you being there to guard me but heavens forbid he try to actually be a father and protect me from what he sees as a threat!"

"A father! He's not being a father, he's being unreasonable and bigoted!"

"And you're just cool with all this? MAGIC? You're just cool with throwing away hundreds of years of physics and logic?"

"Today, I saw a creature appear out of nowhere, and my cousin whom I love and trust talked about making animals out of furniture like it was less interesting than rain! Are you calling this all a prank or something?"

"Well, what about the biblical side of it? I mean, not that I agree with how he said it, but Dad has a point. Witches were stoned!" In that moment, Derek utterly hated his family's proficiency in communication. Maybe if they weren't all so clever, weren't such good speakers, they'd manage to actually have a conversation once in a while. But hating it didn't mean that Derek didn't know how to play at least as well as any of them.

"They stoned adulteresses to."

"You've always stood against sex outside of marriage."

"Because of the personal and societal costs. Casual sex hurts both parties emotionally and leaves behind parentless children, but I do _not_ condone making it a capital offense, or for that matter, making it illegal."

"You really are cool with all this."

"Yes." A long pause while both brothers weighed that affirmation and absorbed everything that had been said. Finally Derek amended, "Maybe." He sighed. "I don't know."

"Scorpius kind of freaks you out, doesn't he?"

"Yeah. Particularly this morning; he was so sickly and clingy. It has been so weird to see him get a little healthier every time Dianne touches his hand or wrist. And he's so... ignorant. He really doesn't know anything about our lives and the world he lives in."

"Except he doesn't live here, in this world. I mean, not really."

"It explains a lot about Dianne."

"Yeah."

There was another silence as each of them recovered a little from the weight of the emotions that they had bared. This time, Josh broke the silence.

"Why do you think she never told us?" Never trusted us.

"Who knows? She said it was illegal." It wasn't really an answer.

"Seems hard to enforce."

"A spell, maybe?" Josh shifted uncomfortably at Derek's suggestion of such a powerful and invasive magic. Derek chose to ignore his own misgivings about this possibility.

"Probably Father." Possible, but a cheap excuse against her cleverness.

"Maybe." Derek didn't add that any concerns she'd harbored had been proven right. Dianne's delivery had been far from tactful.

"He was really mad."

"It's a big bombshell."

"Yeah." Josh weighed his next question carefully. "You think Scorpius is for real then?"

"Unfortunately. No one could act that well. He has a physical need to be near her. He was also extremely protective of her. He didn't even like anyone criticizing her dresses."

"Wow. How far will she go?"

"I don't know. It's a heck of a lever. But at the same time, he and his parents seem to be very afraid of her leaving. Maybe she has some sort of legal or magical upper hand. I just don't think she could be the cause of his death."

"We'll have to watch carefully. She doesn't take care of herself. Not since..."

"Yeah." Not strictly true. Dianne could take care of herself, but she did it with all the wrong priorities. "You with me then?"

"I am if I want to win Berkley this year. Juan and I had a huge argument two nights ago. Dianne's my best bet to prove him wrong." Josh tried to be flippant, but Derek knew his brother well enough to read the honest concern he had for Dianne, and he knew that for now that would be enough. Everything else they'd take one day at a time.

"You showering first? It was a long plane ride for you."

"Sure. Thanks."

* * *

><p>Dianne was tempted to go to the boys' room when she was exiled from the kitchen, but she restrained herself. The sight of the barely closing door meant that Derek had been eavesdropping just as she had and the brothers hadn't had a chance to talk yet. That needed to happen first and foremost, if any sort of healing was going to come to the family.<p>

And so, after a moment's pause at the doorway to hear soft voices, Dianne moved to her room and closed the door carefully. There was no way her father was going to finish with Scorpius any time soon, so she changed her clothes for bed, choosing her most modest nightwear in case of unexpected interruptions. As Scorpius had indicated, all her things had been unpacked and although not everything was where she would have put it, nothing was particularly hard to find.

She booted up her computer out of habit despite the late hour and then winced when she saw her notices pop up: four attempted chats, seven texts, two calls and seventeen private messages from the forums she participated in. Half of the communication was from Catherine, the other half from her online correspondents who knew when she'd be back in the reach of technology. Although she was uncomfortable in face-to-face social interactions, the yearly summer debate camps had given her a network of electronic acquaintances that she kept in contact with whenever she was not at Hogwarts.

Dianne quickly scanned the messages. The debaters were all focused on the Berkley tournament which now seemed years away to her. Catherine's messages were increasingly frantic versions of 'where are you' as Dianne failed to catch the train, re-appear at the station, or give any other indication she had not been eaten by the Deputy Headmistress.

Now the question was, to call Catherine tonight, or to wait until tomorrow? A glance at her closed door reminded her of the late night Scorpius was likely to have, and the fact that her parents would never understand what it meant to be a Muggleborn dating—or marrying—into the Malfoy family.

After that, the decision was made and all that was left was to wake up her built-in camera and double-check the appropriateness of her t-shirt before she called Catherine's computer. Her friend answered on the fourth ring, still obviously in the middle of finishing a conversation with someone off-camera. Dianne caught "...her now. I'll let you know tomorrow! Yeah, whatever, back at you."

"Hey Catherine."

"Dianne!" Catherine sounded breathless. "What happened? You never showed on the train! Where'd you go? Are you calling from home?"

"I'm fine. I am calling from home, I've been here since 5:30 or so but this is the first I made it to my computer."

"What did Deputy Weasley want?" Dianne sighed. Where to begin?

"She took me to see the Headmaster. The Malfoys were there."

"Does this have anything to do with your weird detention?"

"Yeah. Evidently, I'm Malfoy's soul mate." She was glad she's thought of the equivalent. It sounded better than '_love at first site, as written by Mary Shelly_' even if it wasn't as accurate.

"Come again?"

"I am Scorpius' soul mate. If he is not with me, he will die. If he believes that I have rejected him, he will die."

Catherine took a huge breath, ran her hands through her hair in her normal gesture of confusion and frustration and then fiddled with her keyboard. Although Dianne could not see her friend's screen it was obvious she was pulling up a document so she could take notes.

"I didn't know wizards had soul mates."

"I'm not sure if every wizard does or not. Scorpius is part Veela, and evidently having a chosen mate is par for the course for them. He's been expecting this since he turned 17 last year."

"So, what? He's been going to school with us for six years and only now figures out you're his mate? And isn't that a bit hypocritical, considering his family, and well, yours?"

"His parents were there today. Both seemed more worried about my reaction than my blood status or power rating or whatever."

"But why _now_?"

"I guess Veela operate on touch. So when he fell off the step ladder and I caught him..."

"Operate on touch." There was a pause while Catherine's hands stopped moving on her keyboard and she focused more on her screen, presumably having minimized the document to study the live video feed. Dianne could see her friend putting the pieces together. Catherine had been sorted to Ravenclaw based on her curiosity and her puzzle solving skills, so it wasn't a surprise that she caught on fast. "How far does he want you to go?"

And that was just one of the million dollar questions. "We just held hands today. Skin to skin contact definitely helped him. He's nowhere close to tan, he's Malfoy after all, but his skin has finally left the unhealthy pasty that it's been all year. This morning he looked ready to have a heart attack or a seizure and now-"

"-I didn't ask about his health. I'm not worried about him. How are you doing?" Dianne let out the rest of her air in a sigh. How _was_ she doing?

"I don't know."

"You don't know."

"It's... it's all a bit much, you know? I mean, all I want is to finish Hogwarts and become a lawyer, to try to right some of what I have seen. And now... someone's _life_ depends on me. And that someone is Malfoy! Today he has been nothing but the perfect gentleman, if a little hesitant and yet a day ago he didn't give a single Knut about me. He still wouldn't care, if I wasn't his chosen mate or whatever. I mean..." Dianne took a deep breath. How to explain it without completely losing control of herself?

"Last night, before we touched, he didn't say hello or even offer the most common courtesy to me. Now, almost exactly 24 hours later, he's invaded my home and my vacation, my family is in turmoil, my uncle may never speak civilly to me again, my mother won't look me in the eye. I spent all day trying to not freak out and explain Muggle London to him and just put one foot in front of the other and get _home_. Never mind his overbearing parents, dressed for dinner with the queen parading around London with self-righteous contempt for everything we did. And all the while Scorpius clinging like a terrified child and possessive and jealous like he owns me or something. I..."

Dianne stared straight ahead, not seeing her computer or wall pictures or really much of anything. Catherine seemed similarly stunned by the rapid-fire ranting, but in the end it was she who spoke.

"So... let me get this straight... They pull you away from breakfast, drop this whole 'soul-mates or death' crap in your lap, turn you loose in Muggle London, and then when you go home and drop the bomb your family collapses."

"More or less. But it was my fault, really. I just, I didn't know what to do! I... I just wanted everything to go on the way it was supposed to. Derek and I go shopping, it's what we do, and so what if Scorpius tags along? And his parents, well, what's two more idiots?" Dianne sighed. "I wasn't thinking. I couldn't think. All I could do was get out of there, and it seemed so natural. I mean, it's not like Scorpius didn't need a wardrobe as much as I or Derek did."

"And your family?"

Dianne looked away from the camera and screen. Ah, yes. Her family.

"I'm tired of hiding, Catherine." There was a long pause. "I hid all day. Hid how scared I was and how shaken I was. Hid how much it terrified me to have to watch out for the three of them and how much it horrified me that Scorpius had to hold my hand every single friggin' minute. I've never had a boyfriend, never wanted one. I'm not comfortable with this! Really, I'm not. I don't want to have this type of control and power and responsibility over someone. Especially not someone like Malfoy!"

"So, what, you decided to take it out on your uncle?"

"I just wanted to stop having to paraphrase everything. Derek gets to talk about grades and teachers and sports and Josh brags about his debates and what do I have? I am gearing up to fight against prejudice and oppression and make a difference, if I can get past all the bigoted tests, and I just wanted to have a family that knew that."

"What about your cousins?"

"I don't know. Josh is kind of freaked out, and I think I understand why." Dianne released a self-depreciating laugh that she hardly recognized as her own. "Derek seems determined to support me first and to hell with the details. Something else was going on though. My uncle got really mad and stormed out, tried to take Josh with him. Derek stopped him though, said if he didn't leave Josh he'd break his hand AGAIN. I'm not sure what he meant, but the damage from tonight is definitely bigger than just religious prejudice and my insensitivity."

"Sounds like it. But I'm not sure what you can do, except focus on your side of things."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm almost looking forward to the 27th."

"The 27th?"

"Yeah. Scorpius and I are spending the first half of break here, the second with his family."

"How did you get talked into THAT?" Dianne blinked. Out of all the judgments she'd made that day, she had thought that her scheduling was the smartest. She would be there for Christmas, and the customary Sunday morning service and her Aunt's evening ball.

"I sort of, well, I suggested it."

Catherine blinked. "Why?"

"Relationships are built on compromise." That was one of the things pounded into her by her parents. Relationships took honesty, compromise, and perspective, all of which required maturity not found in most teenagers. Thus, dating and marriage were activities better belayed until adulthood in order to avoid inordinate heart ache and unnecessary emotional entanglements which could lead to foolish and risky behavior.

Catherine had always been less than impressed with this reasoning, which she had heard countless times in the days leading up to her first relationship. Dianne had not approved of the 'romantic entanglement', although she had been a sympathetic ear when it ended. Catherine did not repeat any of her reasons for teenage dating, choosing instead to address the situation directly. "You're not in a relationship yet."

"NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP!" Dianne ran her fingers through her hair in an unconscious imitation of her friend's frustration. "Catherine, his life depends on my goodwill!"

"Which is why he should be _wooing_ you." Catherine paused to see Dianne's reaction, and Dianne gestured for her friend to continue, stunned but listening.

"You're not in a relationship yet. Not really. He has to _earn_ that, Dianne. He has to earn the right to hold your hand and invade your home. You are worth more than to be manipulated like this! I'm not saying you should let him die. But if he is so desperate, then he can make some allowances for you. Will you have to adjust your life in the long-term, yes. But why should you abandon your family traditions and plans for him? You say relationships take compromise, and honesty and communication and maturity and all that jazz. Does he have that? Does he respect you like you've always said you wanted, or does he just want to live? You said it yourself. Before today he wouldn't have looked at you twice."

Dianne didn't answer, couldn't answer, so after a long moment Catherine continued. "It is admirable that you want to save him. And if what you said about his condition this morning is true, it sounds to me that you have _already_ saved him. I'm not telling you to be a cold-hearted slave driver. But you have to do what is best for _you_, Dianne. For once in your life, please, listen to your own needs." Dianne scrambled to find an answer to that but was interrupted by a soft knock on her door.

"Um... I've got to go. I just wanted you to know I was okay." Catherine sighed, resigned.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks."

"No, thank you. I mean it." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Really. I'll think about what you said. I... You might be right."

"You know I'm right. Malfoy is going to have everyone on his side—his family, and by extension much of the magical community. You've got your supporters too, especially me and your family, but that isn't gonna work if you've already surrendered."

"Thanks General Richardson."

"Shut up."

"Whatever did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Must have been something great. Call me tomorrow, because if I haven't heard from you in 48 hours I'm going to assume you've been kidnapped."

"Alright. I promise."

"Goodnight Dianne."

"Sleep well Catherine." Catherine hung up and Dianne took a moment to stare at her blue screen before shutting the laptop lid and turning to her door.

"Come in."

* * *

><p>Helen was tempted, very tempted, to join her husband in grilling the boy that was the center of the evening's circus. She knew, however, that as satisfying as it could be, it would also be counter-productive. Her nephews were dealing with each other, which meant that Dianne was alone in her room, probably brooding. So, after giving her daughter a half hour to change for bed and have a bit of time to herself, she knocked on her bedroom door.<p>

There was no immediate answer, but she could hear Dianne talking—likely making a computer call. She heard the beeping that indicated the end of a call, and then Dianne hailed her to enter.

"Come in." Her daughter's voice was low, and so she softly opened the door and slipped inside. Dianne was indeed sitting at her desk, turned away from the closed computer lid. Helen took a seat on the neatly made bed, facing her not-yet-adult daughter.

"Who was that?"

"Catherine. She was worried when I didn't show up on the train."

"Did you tell her everything?"

"Yes."

"And what does she make of the situation?" How did this appear to another girl in Dianne's same position, but without her unnatural maturity and one-track judgments? Dianne sighed.

"She agrees with Dad. She thinks I've rolled over and surrendered when I shouldn't have. She thinks I'm not caring for myself. She thinks I should make Scorpius woo me and earn the right to be in a relationship."

"Then she's made a good start on the conversation I wanted to have with you."

Dianne didn't respond at first, but Helen waited. She would not let Dianne shut down like she sometimes did to avoid a difficult topic. Finally, her patience was rewarded when Dianne spoke. "I understand where she's coming from, and I may not have made the best decisions today, but I don't understand what she wants me to do. Should I let Scorpius die?"

Helen sighed. Dianne was entering her defensive competition mode. Overstatements were a debater's best friend, after all. "You do realize his life, and your allowance of him in your life, is not a light-switch, don't you? While it is admirable that you want to spare him as much pain as possible, it is not necessary for you to bow to his every whim. Further, his life is not your responsibility."

"No?"

"No. You have to do what is best for you."

"That sounds incredibly selfish to me. Is that what you do with Dad, just do what's best for _you_?"

"No. Finding your husband should be about finding the man who..." In true Reed fashion, Helen abandoned the thought half-finished and adjusted her wording. "When I do what is best for me, it is also what is best for your father and when I help your father I am helping myself. We have similar interests, we work well together. There are times that require compromise, yes. But you need to realize that compromise works two ways."

"I get the impression that there is nothing I could ask that Scorpius would not give me. I have to be the one to compromise, because I really don't see him having the physical capability to negotiate with me."

"That is a mature view, and while I want to come back to this, your interactions with Scorpius are only half of what I came in here to talk to you about." This set Dianne back, and Helen continued before she could regroup. Hopefully when they returned to this subject Dianne would be less defensive.

"I want to talk about your conduct today. You know that it is unacceptable to change your plans without notifying us. What if something had happened to you while you were in London when we believed you were on the train?"

"I called the house."

"When you knew that your father was at work and I would likely be out with errands and Christmas shopping."

"Derek left you a note."

"How much would it have cost you to call your father's office or my cell phone? A couple of bucks, maybe?"

"The Malfoys were listening, and I knew Derek wouldn't ask questions."

"When did we become the bad guy?" Dianne didn't answer that. After a moment of waiting, Helen continued. "You know how important communication is to us, to this family."

"Right, because you've always been so open with me."

"Dianne..."

"Like why you and Dad have been writing separate letters to me, and both of you falsely sweet. Like the winter I spent at school, so that you didn't have to tell me you were sick."

"It wasn't the cancer."

"You didn't know that when you were hiding it from me!" Dianne didn't actually raise her voice, or at least, not by much, but she managed to convey her hurt effectively nonetheless.

"We are the parents, Dianne. We will do what is best for you."

"And hiding your possible death is what's best for me."

"We wanted you to be able to focus on your work until we were certain, one way or the other." Helen sighed. Her daughter had a point, but this was not what she had wanted to talk about. "To be honest, that's part of what worries me with Scorpius now." She could see that the change of subject had confused Dianne. "This is a critical year for you in school, isn't it? I don't want you distracted too badly."

"Mum, he's dying."

"Not anymore he's not. In fact, if anything, he looked healthier after dinner than when he walked in the door."

"Because he was close to me."

"Be that as it may, there have to be boundaries Dianne."

"What do you have in mind?" The question was sarcastic, but Helen didn't rise to the bait.

"What are you comfortable with?" Dianne blinked, surprised by the honest inquiry. "We want to _support_ you, honey. We will have some hard rules- definitely no serious kissing, especially after less than a day. But I have a feeling that your comfort zone is far smaller than that." Dianne didn't meet her eyes, instead staring at her intertwined hands.

"Are you even comfortable holding his hand?"

"Yeah. I guess. When I'm holding his hand, instead of him holding mine. If that makes sense."

"What about when he stands close."

"That's alright. And when we sit close too."

"And when he put his arm around you in the kitchen."

"Yeah. He didn't really hold me. And he laid his hand behind my shoulders during lunch which was fine."

"But he didn't grab your shoulder, am I right?" Dianne nodded, still not looking up from her hands. Helen smiled gently at her daughter. "It seems you are like me." This startled Dianne into making eye contact. "When I first started dating, control was very important to me. Not control over the relationship itself, but over the touch. I wanted to initiate it and set the boundaries. It's natural, and any man worth dating will respect it. If Scorpius knows what's good for him, he will more than respect it."

"I thought..." Dianne glance away, looking at nothing and blushing. "I thought I was being silly."

"No. Look at me Dianne." She waited until she had her daughter's full attention. "If we are going to let you do this, you have to listen to those little voices. I know some would say it's not a big deal, but it is. When you are uncomfortable, you _have_ to say something. You can say it to Scorpius, or you can come and talk to me or your father or even Derek and we will help you do whatever needs to be done. But you have to listen to your intuition and your emotions. Promise me."

"I promise."

"I mean it, Dianne. Scorpius is not your responsibility. You don't get to go all 'ice-queen debater' on us. There is a time and place for that but right now, amongst your family, trying to decide your future is not the appropriate use of those skills. In fact, you could end up seriously hurting yourself in the long run. You have to be open."

"I promise Mum, really."

"Good. Now get some sleep. I don't want to hear that computer again. Berkley will still be waiting for you tomorrow."

Dianne gave a small laugh. "Alright. Goodnight mum."

"Goodnight darling."

"I love you." As Helen closed the door behind her, she smiled and paused to convey one last message.

"We love you too, you know. That's why we do all this." Dianne laughed again, but it sounded a little forced, a little exasperated.

"I know. We'll figure this out."

"Got that right. Now sleep."

"Don't let Dad kill Scorpius."

"Can't make any promises." There was a dramatic sigh as Helen turned off the lights.

"Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

><p>Scorpius endured Henry's interrogation with the best grace he could manage. While it was discouraging to have to explain so much to Dianne's father without her help to navigate the culture gap, it did give him an insight into just how ignorant Dianne's family really was. It was baffling that Henry didn't know what a headship was, and it was clear to Scorpius that he did not appreciate the magnitude of most of his accomplishments. Nonetheless, Scorpius answered Henry's concerns as well as he could. After he dismissed Dianne, Henry moved on to inquire in greater depth about each of the subjects he had touched on briefly-family, future plans, and academics-as well as grilling him on his friends, hobbies, world travels, cultural awareness, and finances.<p>

Scorpius took it all in stride, accounting it to curiosity and concern. After the drama that he had caused, no matter how inadvertent or unavoidable, Scorpius was eager to cooperate. The conversation went well, more or less, until Henry asked, with forced casualness, "So, is Dianne you first girlfriend?"

Scorpius stiffened at the question, drew a deep breath, and forced himself to remember that there was a serious culture gap between himself and the man in front of him. Even so, he barely managed to control his volume and tone, but his rapid pace betrayed his true thoughts. "I have never dated before. In true wizarding culture courtships are arranged by parents and older siblings, never by adolescents themselves, although families often choose to seek the youths' opinions. I have never been involved or seriously implicated in an involvement with any other person, male or female. If it were otherwise I would never seek Dianne's hand and besmirch her good name."

Henry sat back in his seat, absorbing this information. "I believe we have had a miscommunication. Why do you think I asked you about your past relationships or lack thereof?"

Scorpius forced himself to calm further and focus on the man in front of him instead of what he had accidentally implied of his own daughter. "I assume you wished to judge my virtue."

"Do pureblooded wizards never have _girlfriends_?"

"There are those that graduate without their virginity. But mostly we leave the fooling around to those who can afford to waste their magical training."

"Muggleborns."

"Yes sir." It hurt to bite out that answer, knowing that it was too broad. It was mostly true—magical training was wasted on those that did not understand the culture they had landed in and would never access their full magical potential. It was unfortunate that so much power and talent was untapped, but with the Muggleborns themselves fighting against the reforms which could help them, it put activists like his family in a difficult, thankless position. But mostly true was not all true, and he hated that such generalities reflected poorly on Dianne. He felt his stomach turn with the first serious nausea he'd had since lunch.

"So, if Dianne hadn't come along, what would you have done?"

"I would have found her." And there was no question about it. Scorpius could not imagine a world in which he had not found Dianne, a world in which he would not do everything to find her and care for her. Henry sat forward slightly then, studying Scorpius intently

"I did not ask you about your past romances to judge your virtue, or at least, that was not my main reasoning." Scorpius said nothing, unsure how he was supposed to react to that very non-interrogating statement. Finally, Henry continued: "Helen and I have a very special relationship, and we have raised Dianne to have very high expectations of any potential suitor. This includes the normal restrictions of any parents, including respect and physical boundaries."

Henry paused again, but then continued before Scorpius could find anything to respond with. "My sister has had four failed marriages, and between our success and her struggles, my wife and I believe that we have reaffirmed the components for a healthy, lasting, and happy union. Communication, honesty, compromise, trust, respect, and perspective. Knowledge. If I am going to let you pursue a relationship with my daughter, you have to work to achieve all that. You have to come to know her and understand her and this family. You will have to learn about our life, our culture, whether you consider it beneath you or not. You will have to listen to her, to what she says and doesn't say. You will have to support her and guide her without being controlling."

Scorpius very carefully did not interrupt the lecture, but when it was over he had no patience with which to control his answer. "I intend to give her all of that. I want nothing more than to make Dianne happy, no matter what it takes. But I will not do it because you want me to. I do not need your permission to court your daughter. If you try to stop us, she can petition for emancipation and believe me when I say that there is not a court in the ministry that will rule against a Veela in this political climate!" Scorpius was vaguely aware that his voice had descended to a hiss and that he was leaning forward threateningly, but it was a distant observation in his mind—far behind the indignation at this Muggle's pompous proclamations—because Henry had not visibly reacted to his tone or posture.

"It may be true that Dianne has the legal right to pursue emancipation based on this Veela soul mating or whatever it is officially called. But that does not mean that she will. Understand one thing about this family, son, if you understand nothing else. We will stick together. Dianne will not leave us, could not even if she wanted to. She may get mad, she may even estrange herself for awhile. I've seen her give the cold shoulder treatment like none other. But she will never sever her ties with us."

"She was the one who brought up emancipation. She directly asked the Headmaster about it, in specific reference to your potential displeasure." Scorpius had meant to throw it in his face, to hurt this Muggle with the knowledge of Dianne's betrayal. Dianne was a witch and Scorpius' mate and should never have to answer to this ungifted human. Henry, however, seemed neither surprised nor worried by the revelation.

"Do you know why Christmas is important to this family?"

The abrupt subject change startled Scorpius. "I was under the impression its celebration is common in Muggle culture." According to Dianne, much of the oddities that he had seen that day had been in preparation and celebration of the holiday.

"That is true. But this time of year is especially significant to us, both for celebration and for less pleasant reasons. You see, nine years ago Helen's cancer grew rapidly worse. In the preceding summer, she was given three months to live. By miracles and therapy, she made it until December 22nd. But that night, the doctors told us she would not wake from her next sleep. We went in to say goodbye. And that was when the impossible happened. Dianne healed her mother." Henry sat back, obviously not finished, but wanting to give his audience of one a moment to react to the news.

"Dianne was holding onto Helen's hand, crying, begging her never to let go, when very slowly she began to grow pale and her breathe came more unevenly and by the end of a minute Helen was so recovered she was sitting up in bed trying to hold Dianne, who had become completely comatose."

Scorpius wished Henry would pause now, as he had before, but there was no such reprieve. Just picturing Dianne as he had described… but Henry was still speaking. "The Healers showed up not twenty minutes later, disguised as doctors. Dianne had been rush to ICU and they stepped in and took over. Within an hour Dianne was out of danger and was being settled into an overnight observation room. That's when one of them, I never can remember his name, sat me down and explained that my baby girl was magical. Or more precisely, that she had been magical, before she expended most of her strength to heal her mother."

Henry gave a self-depreciating laugh. "He explained the existence of witches and wizards and children that did amazing things because their magic was uncontrolled. And then he smiled at me, told me to expect a letter from Hogwarts, assured me that Dianne would by fine by morning, and gave me his name, in case I ever needed to owl him." Another harsh sound that was not in any way related to amusement. "I didn't fully believe a word of it until he just disappeared with a crack."

Henry focused back on Scorpius, and the wizard found himself reminded of the piercing gaze his father had given him the only time Scorpius had dared to ask him if he had ever borne the Dark Mark. "I didn't understand much from that night, and I still don't. But I do understand that Dianne gave up her magic, poured it into her mother, and that she nearly killed herself in the process. That is just one of many bonds that you cannot touch. Do not pit yourself against this family."

For a long moment, Scorpius could not breathe, or think. Such powerful accidental magic would have required incredible stimuli. And it would have left behind a bond, certainly, though life-debts typically bound only the saved and not the savior. Even if that were not the case, he had no intention of destroying Dianne's home. "I have no intention of hurting your family, sir. Nor do I wish to estrange Dianne from you." Scorpius tried to remember how the conversation had gotten out of hand and could not. He was trying to find something, anything, to move the conversation into safer waters when Derek re-appeared in the hallway,

"I don't mean to interrupt, Uncle." Henry waved for him to continue. "Josh and I will be heading to bed in a half hour or so, and since Scorpius is rooming with us…"

Henry was already nodding. "Of course. We'll talk more tomorrow." Scorpius nodded also, grateful for the escape. He spared a moment to worry if he was leaping from a dragon's back into its mouth, but decided he would far prefer to handle Derek, whom he'd spent the day with, than to try to deal with Henry, whom he knew nothing about.

Derek offered him the use of the shower on their way down the hall, but Scorpius declined. He would use a freshener charm in the morning instead. It wasn't perfect, but Scorpius had no wish to waste time when everything was shifting so rapidly. When they got to the room, Josh was lounged on one bed reading what appeared to be a large, unbound loose-leafed book and Derek motioned to the floor, where a mattress was fitted with sheets and a blanket.

"We didn't have a lot of warning." Derek's tone wasn't apologetic, but Scorpius recognized the peace offering. He could survive a night of humiliation if it would smooth things over with Dianne's most trusted family.

"No worries. It's not the worst thing that's happened today." Scorpius knew the humor was flat, but he wasn't expecting the total stoicism of the cousins. Derek quickly lay down on the other bed and Josh set aside his reading, reaching for the lamp. So much for a half-hour before they turned in.

As the younger brother rolled back over, he gave Scorpius the only reaction he was to receive for his attempted communication. "I hope when I wake up that this has all been a dream which will be quickly forgotten." Derek took a deep breath as though to say something, but after a long moment he let it out slowly.

Four hours later when the house was dark and silent, and Scorpius still had not come any closer to sleep, he rose and quietly made his way out the front door and Disapparated away.

-Chapter End. 9,200 Words-

Author's Note:

So this chapter is a little slower, but it's got a lot of foreshadowing and set-up for later issues. Can you guys spot them?

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	4. Justice

**CHAPTER FOUR: Justice**

Derek was awoken by sounds of movement, and it took him a moment to realize it was likely Dianne in the kitchen rather than his roommate. The previous day filled itself in as he studied the clock face declaring it to be 8:17 on the morning of the 18th of December. A glance toward Josh's bed showed his brother lying on his back, a sure sign he would be wake and moving within the next twenty minutes or less.

Sleep briefly warred with the smell of bacon, but when Derek saw the disturbed and empty inflatable mattress at the foot of his bed, the decision was made for him. The opportunity to observe Scorpius and Dianne again was too great to pass up.

He was not alone in his curiosity. Uncle Henry was sitting in the kitchen in a stolen dining room chair while Scorpius lounged against the counter and watched Dianne help her mother with the breakfast. Dianne was in the middle of recounting a story, likely from school, but interrupted herself to wish him a good morning. The sentiment was echoed by everyone and Derek wandered over to Dianne to nick a slice of strawberry from the fruit salad she was making.

"Sleep well?" Uncle Henry asked, to which Derek nodded, looking for another slice worth stealing.

"Your boyfriend snores." He deadpanned at Dianne, although he had no idea if it was true. Derek had never heard Scorpius fall asleep, and had drifted off himself while waiting to hear the younger man's breathing even out.

"I do not!" Scorpius was as affronted as he had hoped and Derek grinned at him, likely more pleased with himself than the situation called for. As Dianne glanced up to see his expression he tried to sneak a grape only to be smacked on the wrist with the flat of Dianne's knife.

"Funny mister."

"I thought so."

"You would. It's just about your level of humor."

Aunt Helen cut off Derek's witty retort before he could even think of it. "How far is your brother from the land of the living?"

"He was stirring when I left."

"Why don't you and Scorpius set the table then, and I'll start these hash browns."

"Of course Aunt Helen."

Derek handed Scorpius the plates, then added silverware, napkins and the salt and pepper shakers to the load and let him trail behind as he set each place setting. As they placed the food on the table, Josh appeared, rubbing his eyes and smiling blearily at everyone, and dropped directly into his seat.

Like always, his brother was halfway through his first serving of food before he was coherent enough to focus on the conversation around him. At the next opportunity, Josh looked directly at Dianne and told her: "Your boyfriend snores." Scorpius visibly stiffened beside her, but Dianne didn't even look over.

"So your brother said. Exactly word-for-word. Which tells me neither of you were awake long enough to know one way or the other." Josh shrugged, still too jetlagged to care that his leg-pulling had been stolen.

"What time did you lot get to sleep last night?" Uncle Henry's question was disguised in a teasing tone that fooled no one.

"Josh and I went lights-out immediately. I had some trouble sleeping—" _tried to stay awake to no avail_— "but I never heard Scorpius fall asleep. Was the air mattress alright?"

Scorpius seemed startled to be directly addressed. He cleared his throat nervously. "It was fine. Better than I expected, actually. I confess, I was restless and went home briefly to speak to my parents."

"I never heard you leave." Derek tried not to roll his eyes at his brother, who could sleep through gunfire, but didn't contradict the idea since _he_ was a light sleeper, even if Josh wasn't, and he hadn't heard anything either.

"I Disapparated out."

"Disapparated?"

"It's instantaneous transportation from one place to another."

"Was there something particular you needed to discuss with your parents that you felt you had to sneak away?"

Uncle Henry's inquiry clearly agitated Scorpius. "I wasn't sneaking away exactly sir. I… Well I'd had a thought and it took me nearly four hours to follow it all the way through and put my arguments in order. I wanted to present it to my father as soon as possible, for everyone's sake."

Henry's response was to nod and stab a bite of scrambled egg casserole, using the loaded fork to make a continuing gesture. "Go on. You have us all on the edge of our seats. What was this masterful plan?" Scorpius glanced nervously at Dianne who was studying him closely. Then, to Derek's surprise, he focused on Josh.

"It was something you said, actually, that got me thinking about it." Josh raised an expectant eyebrow. "Last night. When you said you hoped yesterday would turn out to be a quickly forgotten dream."

Dianne was now frowning prominently, and had shifted slightly away from Scorpius in order to twist fully towards him. If she knew where his train of thought was headed, she didn't like it. Scorpius took a deep breath as Dianne increased the space between them, and Derek wondered how he was feeling today, especially if he had left the previous evening. It took a long moment for Scorpius to find the will to continue.

"I got to thinking that there might be a way to make that possible. At least, in part."

"What? Time travel?" Josh's tone revealed his skepticism.

Scorpius glanced at Dianne a second time, and she took that as an opening to speak. "You had better not be about to say Obliviation." Scorpius recoiled from her as though he had been struck across the face. There was no reaction from Dianne, who appeared to be trying to stare a hole into his mind through his eyes, as both of her hands clenched into fists.

"What is Obliviation?" The question was so obvious it took Derek a moment to realize he'd been the one to ask it aloud. Dianne looked away from Scorpius to answer him.

"Do you remember the memory-messer-upper gadgets in the movie Men in Black? It's a very similar concept. Expert Obliviators can take any memory from any point of a person's life, even their whole life, and replace it with any lie they wish. It's how the Ministry of Magic hides most evidence of magical incidents. See something you can't explain? Forget those questions. Witness something that upsets you? Well, here's a flimsy false memory to cover it up and explain it away." Dianne's tone was scathing, and Scorpius still hadn't relaxed or looked away from her wrathful profile.

"So, you could make my father forget about magic?" It took a moment for Derek to realize that Josh sounded hopeful. "He wouldn't remember anything about last night except what we… wanted?" And that was why…Josh was still furious that Derek had broken his word.

"You can't be seriously considering this?" Dianne had never sounded so scandalized. She looked from Josh, to Derek, to Henry, who was staring very steadily at Scorpius without a hint of anger in his demeanor. "You would steal his memory, for convenience?"

She turned back to Scorpius, who looked about as horrible as Derek had seen him since they met up yesterday morning. He could see that she was about to start in on Scorpius, regardless of what it cost him, but Derek was still having trouble wrapping his mind around her anger.

"Is he happier knowing about magic and being furious at all of us and feeling betrayed by you?"

Dianne turned to him and met his gaze squarely, but whatever she had been about to answer with died as she stared at him. There was a long moment while she thought.

One a thousand. Like when he had processed everything yesterday at lunch, Dianne needed time to adjust whatever expectations she had had of the situation.

Two a thousand. It was obvious that this Obliviation was a sore spot—had she known someone who had suffered from this magic?

Three a thousand. Dianne glanced away to look once more at Josh and then at Henry, both of whom were staring at her, both concerned for her but seemingly accepting of Scorpius' proposition.

Four a thousand. She looked back to Derek, her fire gone. "He's your father. I guess that makes it your call. Knowing the Malfoys, I have no doubt that the best Obliviators are standing by, waiting for you—for us—to decide what explanations and memories you want to replace last night with. Let me know when you figure it out, so I don't blow the cover."

Dianne stood and gathered her dishes as well as the serving dishes the food had been carried to the table in. Scorpius watched her go, still looking sick and hurt. When she left the room without looking back, he slumped in his chair, completely boneless.

Call it stubbornness, but Derek was wholly unsatisfied with such a resolution and he barely bothered to grab his own dishes as an excuse to follow Dianne into the kitchen.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?"

"You're willing to steal your father's memories for your convenience?" She didn't bother to keep her voice down, and as last night's eavesdropping had proven the walls of the house were paper thin. Still, Derek didn't care about their audience at the moment.

"Not just for my convenience. Do you think he's happier knowing that you're a witch? He hates fighting with Uncle Henry and I know that he and I will have words about it too, if something isn't done. This is going to destroy our family—why wouldn't you want to avoid it?"

"Are you volunteering to be Obliviated?"

"Why would I?"

"Oh, of course, your opinions are right so you have right to them, but since Uncle Richard's are causing problems we'll just adjust what he's allowed to know."

"What point are you trying to make?"

"This is exactly the type of thinking that the purebloods use to justify Muggle oppression. Magic has the answer to cancer, and AIDS, and a hundred other problems. We could solve global warming and bring back extinct species. But magic is kept hidden, because Muggle prejudice is considered too dangerous to the average witch and wizard. 'Everyone's happier when the Muggles don't realize how inferior they are.' That is nearly a direct quote from last year's pureblood campaigning. Oppression actually leads to the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people!

"Crimes against Muggles go unpunished because an Obliviated witness is no good on the stand, even in their own defense. Children die and the planet rots because change hurts, and everyone is HAPPY this way."

"And you're saying that just because this procedure has been used for oppression in the past it can never have a good outcome. I doubt my father is going to cure AIDS based on the knowledge you're a witch."

"I don't condone violating someone's mind."

"Even when it will help him? Even when it will help us all? Who loses in this, Dianne? Who suffers?"

"The rule of law."

"Don't give me your debate crap."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. But it's the truth. Picture this, Derek: What if I decided it would be easier not to return to the Muggle world? I would have three options. One, I just never come home and you all get to think I moved to another country or something. Two, I could apply to have my death faked to give you closure. Or, due to new legislation passed on the same logic you are advocating, I could hire a team of Oblivators to make you all forget me. You wouldn't miss me or mourn me or anything. I'd just be gone. Everybody would carry on their lives none the wiser. Everybody'd be happy."

"There's a difference between removing a single fact—a single night—and rewriting someone's life."

"Only in magnitude."

"The world is not black and white. This isn't some fantasy debate resolution. This is real life, and this procedure is what is best for everyone, my father and this entire family. I wish this wasn't necessary but face it—you screwed up. Scorpius comes through and hands us the answer to your mistake but instead of thanking him _you're_ throwing a temper tantrum."

It was a low blow, blaming Dianne. She recoiled, glared hard at him, and then took a step closer, dropping her voice. The ball game had changed.

"Don't think I don't know why you're doing this, Derek. It has nothing to do with your father's bigotry, not really. You know it. I know it. Yesterday wasn't perfect, granted, but I am willing to live with my mistakes. Will you live with yours?"

Derek's hands clenched. She had no right. "I have no idea what you're talking about. There was nothing said last night worth remembering. And we can fix it. I am willing to man up and make the right decision, even if it isn't the pretty one. Sometimes you have to get a little dirty to make things right."

"I don't know whether to be impressed or appalled that you've managed to turn me into an evil coward for defending _your father's_ autonomy." They were centimeters apart, hissing in each other's faces. Derek felt his face burn for a moment in anger, then stepped away before he said or did something he would regret. He forced himself to move forward, forced himself to acknowledge she was as stubborn as he was, and there would be no true resolution between them right now.

"We'll let him think that Scorpius is just a normal boyfriend. You and he have just gotten together, and his parents are travelling so he's staying here with your family. We'll pretend that his plane was delayed and he went straight to the hotel to allow your parents, especially your father, a chance to meet and grill Scorpius. We will take Josh over there so he doesn't realize he spent the night here. I will say I bunked with some of my old friends."

"As you wish." Dianne's tone was completely artificial, completely controlled. But when he looked at her, studied her, Derek realized she was trying to offer him an olive branch. Just accepting his decision was already a concession, and it was one she had made from the very start. He just hadn't seen how significant that was.

Once they returned to the dining room it was relatively simple to set things in motion. Everyone had heard Derek's impromptu cover up, and although it took some smoothing out they were soon all satisfied with the story. Dianne continued to carry dishes to the kitchen while the family discussed options, and Scorpius' eyes never seemed to leave her or the kitchen doorway.

* * *

><p>The Obliviation was ridiculously easy. Scorpius left and returned with a pair of ministry-registered Obliviators who listened as her family spun their lie. Then it was a quick stop at Richard's hotel to drop off Josh and the falsity. The most difficult part was actually finding out where Richard was staying and getting the wizards to it while trying to covertly explain to a very interested Josh what robes were and why they were still in use.<p>

The whole thing was over by eleven o'clock. During the intermediary time Dianne had done the dishes, scrubbed the counters, mopped the kitchen, and polished the silver. She heard Scorpius and Derek return from the hotel when the front door closed and their indistinct voices (but very distinct cadences) came through the might-as-well-be-paper walls. Their return only hardened her resolve, however, and rather than move on to dusting or vacuuming she dug in the fridge for the makings of chicken salad. There were still things to be done in the kitchen after all.

Of course, if Derek had proven anything that morning it was that the kitchen was no longer a safe hiding place. Not so many years previously Derek would have sooner been dead than in a kitchen, particularly if there was work to be done. College life appeared to have more or less cured that weakness, much to Dianne's dismay.

"Father and Josh are checking out before noon. They'll be here for lunch." This was not news to her, but since she had not officially been a part of the planning discussion Derek's flimsy excuse to start conversation held some water. Dianne looked up to glare at her cousin, and caught sight of Scorpius lurking in the kitchen doorway behind him. Much of his regained color was gone and his left hand appeared to have developed a twitch.

His head was hanging slightly, like a chastised child, but he was watching her through his lashes, famous white-blond Malfoy hair tousled every which-way. She couldn't decide if the affect was adorable or pathetic.

"Good. Josh and I can start work on Berkley this afternoon then."

Derek pursed his lips, not happy with that. "Don't you think there are more important things right now than a debate tournament?"

"No. It's not about the tournament, Derek. I made a commitment to Josh that I would help him get a full ride, and winning Berkley would be a big part of that."

"Right. Whatever. It's not the most inclusive way to spend an afternoon, and I haven't seen you in forever." His condemnation of her not making time for Scorpius given his current state did not need to be stated.

"Derek, you're a political science major, with business and linguistics double minors. We could definitely use your insight. And Scorpius has been living in politics since before he could talk. Trust me, it'll be inclusive." No one said she had to follow his polite leaving-things-unsaid policy. Dianne couldn't decide if she was more disappointed, furious, or hurt that Scorpius had brought Obliviators into the picture. Right now, she just didn't want to deal with it and in the light of this day, Catherine's concerns about making him _earn_ a relationship were sounding a heck of a lot better.

* * *

><p>Not two minutes after Scorpius and Derek came home, Helen banished Dianne from the kitchen with orders to shower and dress. Scorpius had been surprised to enter the kitchen that morning to find her in a loose shirt and matching, loose trousers and especially surprised to see her still dressed the same way when they returned, with her hair still mussed and tied back from her face.<p>

Scorpius liked the look on her. It wasn't as put together as the slick black and silver attire of the day before, but it was still beautiful. What was more was that her smell was strong, helping the Veela. He also wasn't an idiot: Dianne's casualness was obviously a good sign for how comfortable she was with him.

Those two minutes between arriving home and Dianne vanishing were a study in fury as Dianne managed to cold shoulder Derek without ignoring him or any way blatantly expressing her anger. Seeing her healthy and safe had eased the worries that Scorpius had suppressed while they were away from the house, but her obvious temper was equally unsettling and he felt his tension grow rather than disappear.

"Come on. Let's get you dressed." Scorpius gave Derek a long look.

"I'm not dressed now?" He had very purposefully memorized which clothes he had tried on together and tried to choose colors that fit together smoothly as he would have if he were choosing his robes. Despite his misgivings, Scorpius followed Derek back to the shared guestroom.

Derek laughed slightly. "Don't worry. You'll have us around to make sure you don't embarrass yourself." Scorpius didn't feel like that answered his question, but decided to drop the issue in favor of something else that was far more important.

"Why didn't you apologize to Dianne?" Derek didn't look away from the clothes he was searching through.

"What would I apologize for?"

"She's still upset about this morning."

"Yeah. Of course. And she'll be upset about it until something else comes along to overshadow it. But that's not my problem."

"You don't care that she's furious at you?"

"Of course I do. But that doesn't make me regret my judgment. I won't tell her I'm sorry for a decision that I believe was and is the right one to make. If I did, well, there's a chance it would smooth things over in the short term, but in the long run all it would do is cause Dianne to lose respect for me and my opinions. I made a decision, and I stand by it. Dianne cares strongly about the opposite point of view and she's going to stand by that."

"You're willing let this come between you?"

Derek chuckled slightly. "It's not between us. Not really. Dianne and I still love each other, we're still cousins and we'll still stand by each other. But we are also going to stand by our opinions on this issue. It's not like we're screaming at each other. She's still helping Josh with Berkley and I'm in here helping you with your wardrobe. Life isn't perfect, and neither are the people we love. Dianne is strong willed, and she tends to bring that out in those around her. Which is a good thing, I suppose, because otherwise she'd walk over the top of us! Surrender is no way to build a friendship."

"So, then… you don't think _I_ should apologize?" Derek shrugged, finally finding what he was looking for and turning to face Scorpius as he answered.

"That depends. Are you sorry you brought the Obliviators?"

"Yes." There was no doubt about that. Seeing Dianne so hurt, seeing her pitted against her family and looking betrayed when they didn't understand her point of view… he wished he would take it back.

"But do you regret the idea or Dianne's reaction to it?" Scorpius just stared in answer. Did it matter? "Okay, look at it this way. Are you sorry that my father lost his memories? Are you sorry that we now all get to avoid his bigotry? Are you sorry that the family will be together for Christmas? Or are you sorry that she's angry at me, and by extension you as well?"

"She's upset, and hurt."

"Yes, but in the long run, this is better for her. Dianne is opinionated. That doesn't make her right. Apologize if you want to, or if you need to. But if you two don't deal with this, the underlying issues will never go away. I'm not sure of all the details, but you're blind if you don't see that Dianne is upset about a lot more than just Obliviation. She's a fighter, and if I've understood her half-truth allusions over the past two years, she is gearing up to take on pretty much your whole justice system. Do you want to have this fight over and over again? Do you want to go through this every time you suggest a solution that she disagrees with? Or will you fight once, listen to each other, and get through it?"

"How do you get through something like this?"

"That's for you two to figure out. But I promise you this: Dianne will never love a coward. She may not even see it in herself, but I know my cousin. She can't love or respect someone who can't stand up and face her like a man."

"I don't know if I _can_ fight with her."

"Whatever. I'm not here to run your life for you."

* * *

><p>Richard wasn't sure what to expect from this Scorpius character. It seemed vaguely false to him, that his brother would wait until the night before to call and change their plans so that he could meet this boyfriend, but Josh had said that Scorpius had gotten sick at the last minute and was not allowed to travel out of the country with his parents.<p>

And Richard couldn't begrudge his brother the opportunity to get to know the boy and—if he knew Henry at all—grill him about his life and future. He didn't envy the boy who had decided to try to court Dianne, but he was certainly looking forward to watching to two of them for the next three weeks. They arrived at the house a bit later than planned and Josh entered without bothering to knock.

"We're HOME!" Which, technically, wasn't true since this was his brother's house, but Richard couldn't help but agree with his younger son's assessment as he sighed in contentment and set his luggage in the foyer. No matter where they lived the rest of the year, it was hard to imagine spending Christmas anywhere else.

"Come on in you two! We're having chicken salad for lunch!" That was Helen, as chipper as she always was when everything was right in her world. The table was already set and Dianne was setting a pitcher of tea on the table as Derek introduced Josh to the tall, blond youth sitting beside him. Scorpius—for how many handsome boys besides his own sons would be at his brother's house today?—did seem rather sickly, but he smiled and shook Josh's hand before turning to Richard who reached over the table to introduce himself.

"I'm Uncle Richard. I assume you're Scorpius."

"Yes sir. A pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Good looking and polite. When's the wedding?" Scorpius blushed beautifully and Richard foresaw much teasing in the future from him and his boys. It would be too easy with the flush to give away any attempt at a poker face.

"Behave Uncle." Dianne was teasing, and she took the spot between Scorpius and his brother without any further comment. For a moment, as Josh took a seat between his traditional foot of the table and Helen, Richard thought that Scorpius and Dianne should have been switched, but he brushed it away effortlessly.

"So what are our plans?" Richard asked as the chicken salad was passed around and he served himself toasted crackers to eat it with.

"Berkley." Richard couldn't decide if it was cute or worrying that Josh and Dianne had answered in exact and eager unison.

"Good bills?" he grinned at the two of them, even as his son launched into an enthusiastic re-cap of what he had already heard a least a few times on the plane. Those summer camps were certainly paying off.

"Oh, yeah. ICC, energy cap-and-trade policies, education reform, and even a few good resolutions. I can't wait to get into the meat of jury nullification."

"Make sure you leave some of Dianne for her boyfriend." Scorpius, who was just seeming to recover, blushed again and Dianne bumped his shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry, Uncle Richard. Scorpius' family is pretty political, so I'm sure he'll have something to offer. At the very least, he'll be the lay sounding board for us. You're off the hook."

"Thank heavens." From there conversation moved towards the auction and basic details about Scorpius' life. Dianne answered surprisingly often for Scorpius. If the boy was shy it was surprising he had lasted even a few days without Dianne losing all interest.

* * *

><p>Lunch couldn't be over soon enough for Josh. Yes, Scorpius was important and Dianne was saving his life. He knew that it was crucial that his father be re-introduced to Scorpius with a good impression or the Obliviation and resulting fight would have been for nothing. But Berkley was 8 days away and one of those days would be spent flying to California. This was <em>his<em> tournament—it would either make or break the rest of his year.

Josh wasn't an idiot, he knew that he would likely never be a TOC champion. His greatest advantage so far was to have double qualified every year and to have competed in a different event every year. If he picked up 3 separate qualifications this year and earned one more finalist spot, he would be the obvious choice for the Diverse award and scholarship. But to have a 3rd qualification and a fourth unique event, he needed Congress. And Berkley was his best shot at getting a Congressional bid without interfering with his other qualifications.

He'd done Congress at Berkley before, but always as his supplemental event and never for a qualification. He knew he could nail the maneuvering and presentation necessary for this event. It was the preparation and research that concerned him, especially since his main coach, Juan, was still feeding him conservative evidence and complex surveys rather than the more popular and useable expert opinions and political estimations.

Finally, Helen began to clear dishes and Uncle Henry told them knowingly that the Ethernet cables were still in the living room from their preparations for summer tournaments. Josh retrieved his laptop from the bedroom and Derek followed to carry out his evidence boxes. By the time they made it to the living room Dianne had pulled the cables for their laptops out from behind the television and was logging into the television Skype account. Scorpius was settled on the couch, watching them all with either bemusement or worry, and Josh decided he didn't care which.

They started with the 25 preliminary bills and resolutions while they waited for Juan to Skype them back. Dianne agreed with him generally about the quality of Juan's research for him, but she also managed to reword it and find him the meanings behind the numbers. It was a pity that Hogwarts interfered with so many tournaments, because she was definitely talented. They were just finishing the last of what they'd judged would likely be the 'crucial' preliminary bills and were beginning work on the resolutions when Juan finally called them back.

After pleasantries and complaints about time zones were exchanged, and Scorpius was introduced, they returned to business.

"I really don't see any decent house setting any of these resolutions on the agenda, with the exception of number 20—attempting to stop jury nullification." Josh was glad they'd started on the bills, as he couldn't wait to tear into this topic with his coach and cousin.

Dianne skimmed through it. "Yeah, I can understand this one being a favorite."

"You're both pulling my leg right? This resolution is so weighted for the opposition that you won't even be able to find someone to read it for the House, let alone actually sponsor it."

Josh gaped at Juan. Why did his father even pay this guy? "Opposition? I'll sponsor and author it! And I'll take every supporting government speech too!"

Juan scoffed. "You'll take government? You can't punish defense lawyers for trying to get their clients off, no matter how they do it. Lawyers are supposed to create sympathy for their clients! So what if they argue that they laws their clients broke are unjust and should be nullified? It's the jury's job to listen to the laws and the prosecution's job to remind them of that fact. Defense lawyers should not be punished for being persuasive. That's just counter-intuitive!"

Josh could see Juan gearing up to repeat his points and expound but after spending hours wading through his research for the bills, he was in no mood to listen to Juan any further. "These lawyers aren't being persuasive! They are advocating a complete disregard of the law! Juries have no place judging the law! They are there to judge the facts! And any lawyer that encourages them otherwise should be held in contempt of court!"

"Did you seriously just say that?" Josh was surprised see Dianne jump in so early, when she usually weighed in at the end of their arguments to bring peace to their head-butting. She was looking between Juan and himself like she expected this to be a prank.

She looked to Juan. "You're opposing this bill based on a lawyer's right to be persuasive?" Josh felt himself smirking before she turned to him. "You're supporting it based on a jury's proper role? Have _either_ of you studied the history of juries or the rule of law? This is clearly a resolution to oppose, based on a jury's proper and historical role."

"Enlighten us then." Like always when he was dealing with Dianne, Juan was slightly condescending but intrigued by what she had to say. No one thought _quite_ like Dianne did.

"Jury interference re-wrote the Magna Carta and created the perception of justice that we still apply to our lives today. The original Magna Carta was prejudiced and limited. Yes, you had article 40 that guaranteed "_To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice._" But you also had article 10 that treated money borrowed from Jews as unimportant and separate from all other debts. The Magna Carta's greatest strength, the only reason it has any right to be remembered today, was article 39:

"_No free man shall be arrested, or imprisoned, or deprived of his property, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any way destroyed, nor shall we go against him or send against him, unless by legal judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land._ Juries took the principles of the Magna Carta and applied them far beyond the letter of the treaty that had been signed. They applied them to the lay people and used them to overturn unjust laws. Jury nullification and interference created common law in England.

"It took the Magna Carta from "_No one shall be arrested or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman_, Article 54, to the ideals which the Americans immortalized with their words: _We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness_.

"The Americans had Lexington and Concord and their much beloved Constitution, and followed that with a Civil War. The French housed the Enlightenment and the Declaration of the Rights of Man, and yet not a generation later they birthed Napoleon and Robespierre. But look at England! When did we have a guillotine in the name of justice? Where is our abominable war for the _right_ to slavery? The juries precluded that!

"Rule of law precluded that! As juries adjust laws, justice grows. A jury in one county lessens the sentence of a criminal they sympathize with. And six months later, another separate jury does the same thing. A year later a lawyer uses those two cases to get his client's case overturned. Within a decade the law has been re-written by history! There is no radical change to scare the people. There is no grand debate. Just 400 quiet years while Magna Carta prejudice becomes Magna Carta justice. And then, 400 years later, here we are. And you want to tell me that lawyers shouldn't urge for jury nullification?"

There was a long silence while they both processed her arguments. While most of him was envying her incredible memory, a small piece of Josh took a moment to be glad that they always recorded their discussions, because his cousin was really something when she cared about a topic, and given the events of this morning, 'rule of law' was definitely something she cared about. Derek, however, had no appreciation for the magnitude of what she had just flung at the two debaters and moved into what he believed to be a flaw in her logic.

"How can rule of law _advocate_ juries overturning law? Isn't rule of law by definition the superiority of law and law's inherent justice? The utter lack of acceptance of any exception or mitigating circumstance?"

"No. You misunderstand the concept. The idea of rule of law is the supremacy of justice and law over circumstance and the supremacy of legal precedence. But it is not that law is infallible. As juries refine law and create precedence based on the _justice of the law_ they strengthen rule of law."

"So rule of law does depend on the justice and effects of the law." Was Derek really going to open up that can of worms with Juan watching and their father in the other room?

"No. I can see where you might be able to say it depends on the justice of the law. But one pity-party set of extenuating circumstances does not justify disobedience to the law. Here's the difference: If a man was to steal… say… a certain medicine to save his wife's life, rule of law would still find him guilty, because stealing is wrong. But if a man were to try to buy that same medicine and the drug company refused to sell it except at an incredibly extreme price, rule of law would support the man if he were to sue for his wife's right to life. Rule of law finds restitution without violating justice."

"And in the meantime this guy's wife dies while her husband's in a courtroom. How's that for rule of law?"

"And next time there doesn't have to be a theft _or_ a court room because the juries have set a precedent for everyone! But if the jury acquits the robber, then how should the next jury rule when they are faced with a robber who committed his crime to save a stranger, or to only prolong his wife's life but not save it? When you start making exceptions, you undermine justice."

"You honestly expect this guy do less than everything he can to save his wife?"

"If he chose _not_ to rob anyone, would you condemn him for that?"

"What?"

"If the man tried everything else, but chose not rob anyone, would you condemn him for that, legally or morally?"

"I… I suppose not."

"So what you mean is that the man is not morally obligated to rob. You find it morally permissible, but not necessary. Rule of law does not allow for moral permissibility. There are actions that are morally obligatory and actions that are morally prohibited. There is only right and wrong."

"Okay." Josh wasn't sure what he wanted to say, but he _was_ sure that he did not want the hypothetical discussion to suddenly evolve into a detailed screaming match. "Okay." He held up both hands, trying to focus on the resolution and not the simmering tempers. "I'm not sure I buy the 'rule of law history lesson' _personally_, but I do think it is brilliant for the competition. It's passionate, it's universal, and it's heart-breaking. And if I listen to this tape on the plane I'll be able to sell it. Next resolution."

* * *

><p>Listening to Dianne and Josh discuss the congress topics was… enlightening. At first Scorpius tried to keep up with the topics themselves, but he knew too little of the Muggle world to understand it all. What he did understand was that Dianne was clearly the better strategist. Josh spoke in long and elegant sentences that reminded Scorpius heavily of his father and the other politicians he knew, but it was Dianne that chose the best facts and fit together the evidence into seamless arguments.<p>

Watching the two of them, it was easy to see what Derek had meant about Dianne respecting someone who would hold to his opinion. Josh and Dianne clashed often, and although they sometimes persuaded each other from their views, it was more frequent that they chose the argument they thought would be most unique or most appeal to the judges and left the problem of who was "right" to the wayside.

The "jury nullification" resolution had been an excellent example of that compromise, since Josh clearly did not agree with Dianne and yet was more than willing to use her passionate speech to his advantage. What struck Scorpius, however, was that Dianne really did believe in the rule of law. She truly believed that it worked, and that it should have stopped them from Obliviating her prejudiced uncle. She believed so firmly in her uncle's right to hate her and the damage that Obliviations caused that she was unwilling to violate her principles to save her family. Her certainty appealed to something in Scorpius—something that was unrelated to the Veela—but he could not put his finger on it.

He was surprised when Henry suggested that "the kids" go out for dinner, under the excuse that he didn't want to hear another word about Berkley, and knew them too well to ask them to choose a new topic. As Derek drug Scorpius off to go change into something more appropriate—because evidently the earlier outfit was fit for lounging around the house but not suitable for the public to see—he explained that Henry wanted to give them a chance to resolve things between them without Richard for an audience.

Scorpius was even more surprised when Derek dropped him and Dianne off at one restaurant and drove off with Josh to another. Evidently Dianne's favorite cousin trusted him enough to leave them alone together.

* * *

><p>Katie Weasley was surprised to see Scorpius Malfoy and Dianne Reed be seated on the other side of her booth. She had had no idea that Dianne lived in this area, and certainly hadn't expected to run into her students while away from the castle. As the two settled into the booth side-by-side and ordered waters from the waitress she contemplated making herself known to them, just saying hello and seeing what happened. But when Dianne asked Scorpius to set a ward to keep their conversation private, her curiosity was peaked.<p>

Scorpius set a complex content-specific containment ward and explained to Dianne that he had hidden the contents of their conversation from anyone who didn't know about magic. Dianne didn't seem to be impressed by the magic he'd used, but then she probably didn't know it was usually used between politicians to contain sensitive information from those who didn't already know about it.

Katie settled in to listen as the waitress returned with her students' drinks, far too interested to consider leaving now or informing them of their audience. When George had fire-called to say he had to work all night at the shop, she had anticipated a dull evening alone at their (cheap) Muggle apartment. Now, she had a chance to examine a situation that had been weighing on her mind since she had been informed of it forty-odd hours previous.

"I'm surprised Derek left us alone."

"My mother feels we need an opportunity to speak candidly." Had something happened between them already? They seemed to be on well enough terms—they were certainly sitting close together—and Scorpius had looked better than the last time she'd seen him two nights ago.

"Any topic in particular on your minds?"

"I suppose." There was a long silence, and Katie could hear something clinking, likely Dianne playing with her silverware or the salt-shaker. She tended to move things in her hands when she was nervous—the only way to tell when she was unsure of an answer she was giving to the class. "She wanted us to have a chance to 'DTR' as she put it… to define the relationship."

"Define how?"

"Well, like… touching. I…" there was a short silence, then Scorpius let out a sigh as though he was suddenly relaxing. "Holding your wrist like this, is very comfortable. Same thing when I hold your hand and when we sit close like this. But… I need you to let me set the pace. If you need my touch, well, you can ask, or just touch my shoulder to get my attention or something if you need to be more subtle. And when we sit close together like this, you can put your arm around my shoulders like you did yesterday. But I'm… not comfortable… when you hold my waist. Not yet. As we get to know each other, we can change those boundaries. But for now, I need you to let me set the pace." Despite the awkward pauses the speech sounded a touch rehearsed.

Scorpius was silent a moment. "I never wanted to make you uncomfortable. I am so sorry…" and in that moment he sounded broken, so heartfelt was his apology.

"No, Scorpius, I understand. You're fine, I'm fine. I'm not upset. I just wanted us to adjust for the future, that's all. I…" Katie waved away her waitress's offer of her check, instead ordering a coffee and dessert. This was worth watching. As the waitress moved away Katie realized she could watch the two students' reflections in the far window. They were sitting very close together, and Dianne appeared to be holding Scorpius' wrist and hand in both of her hands, as though studying it.

"You said, this was alright?" Scorpius was slowly placing his arm across the back of the seat, near Dianne's shoulders. The two were turned toward each other slightly, oblivious to the world.

"Yes. It feels… natural. Not at all threatening. Is… is this enough for the Veela?" Dianne glanced away from his wrist and looked into his face. So Scorpius had told Dianne about the Veela's physical needs already. She seemed to be handling it well.

"Yes." Scorpius' answer was soft. "Yes. That… that is remarkable. It's a little hard to think straight." When she began to pull away, uncertain, his hand closed on hers. "But in a good way."

Dianne glanced away nervously and was saved by the approach of their server, which allowed her an excuse to shift more forward in the booth. To Katie's surprise, she made no effort to move away from Scorpius. For a quiet girl who had never—to Katie's knowledge—had a boyfriend, she had come a long way in 48 hours. Even if she wasn't completely comfortable, it did appear she was being completely honest. The two asked for more time to place their orders, and then Dianne opened a menu between them, allowing Scorpius further excuse to remain close to her.

It amused Katie to hear the two of them discuss the menu, which was relatively standard Italian fare. Of course, Scorpius was used to Italian fare being imported fresh from Italian farms and fishing villages each night and prepared by house-elves that were first-generation English. Dianne was vaguely amused as she explained that although the cuisine was similar to 'native' Italian, it would also be influenced by local English customs. They decided just moments before their waitress returned for their orders, and for a moment after her departure there was an unsteady silence.

"Was that the only thing you wanted to… define?"

"It was the biggest. My mum also reminded me that it's family policy that I can't go to anyone's house unless my parents have met the responsible adults. Which, you know, would be a good idea regardless. Our parents are going to have to meet sometime."

"Yes. My father pushed for me to invite your family to dine at Malfoy Manor when I went home last night."

"Uncle Richard would take that _well_." Dianne backed off the sarcasm. "And it's not exactly neutral ground."

"What do you suggest?"

"How about dinner at a restaurant like this one? We'll even go ritzy so your parents don't stand out."

"Were they that obvious? Derek made a comment at lunch yesterday… I don't recall it exactly."

"They were very appropriately dressed—for dinner with the queen."

"You should have said something."

"I was focused on not freaking out."

"I had no idea. You seemed so calm."

"Welcome to my debate persona. The only functioning public mask I have. Without it, I'm just me: sarcastic, blunt, and overwhelmed by even simple interactions with strangers. The true me definitely would not have handled the Veela well. Using my debate persona gave me time to process without hurting you with a rejection."

"You were playing us?"

"I was playing the world."

"Are you now?"

"No. I'm never this blunt when I wear that mask. Brutal, sometimes, if the situation requires it, but never this… open. I used it yesterday to hold myself together. Today it would just get in the way. The point is to get to know each other, after all."

"So, if you have this amazing debate persona… why is Josh competing at Berkley but you're not?"

"You mean besides the massive entry fee?" Dianne shrugged, idly drawing on the back of Scorpius' hand with her fingertip. "Hogwarts keeps me from attending most of the tournaments. I've been going to debate camp each summer for years—since Uncle Richard started sending Derek and Josh. We go to camp while the adults travel for the business. We've always been a team. Josh is the speaker, while I'm more of a shadows person. I gather the details, make the arguments."

"Derek?"

"He's the linguist enthusiast. He's the most people-oriented, actually. Josh can sell it to a crowd, but Derek is the one who could talk a millionaire into betting the farm on a long shot. It's why Josh is going to be a politician and Derek will inherit the company."

"And you?" Dianne snorted.

"I'm going to be whatever I can be. I wanted to be a historian, but evidently Hogwarts will not be looking for a new History of Magic professor until Binns realizes he's dead. Why hire someone when a ghost will work for free, you know? And I've been told there isn't a lot of market value in Muggleborn authors. So I'm trying to get enough NEWTs to join a law firm. Otherwise I guess I'll find a job here in the Muggle world and try to volunteer for SPEW or something."

"SPEW?"

"Well, maybe not SPEW. But somewhere. I want to make a difference."

"You really believe in that stuff?" Dianne looked up from her invisible doodling to study Scorpius.

"Yeah. I really do."

"What about it?"

"What do you mean, what about it? I believe it all. That oppression is never justified. That humanity does not mean superiority. That liberty applies to all persons. And that yes, personhood extends to centaurs, house-elves, goblins, werewolves, vampires, and yes, even Veela." For a moment, Scorpius looked thunderstruck. "Rule of law protects all people."

"Rule of law? Is that you answer for everything?"

"What do you mean?"

"It just seems impossible that the same miraculous phrase explains everything for you. How juries should act, how we should protect society, how we—"

"How you shouldn't Obliviate Muggles on a whim?" What?

"That was the first time I heard you use it." WHAT? What had happened in just two days?

"It all fits together. Don't you understand anything I said all day? Doing what's right isn't about what is convenient. It's not about what makes people happy. It's about justice, and rule of law."

"So for this precious rule of law you would tear your family apart. You would have that guy watch his wife die?"

"Uncle Richard has a right to his views. You didn't Obliviate everyone of last night, just him. Now Derek is mad at him for something he doesn't know or remember. You've judged us to be right and him to be wrong. Who were you to make that call?"

"I will protect you in every way I can."

"Uncle Richard wasn't going to burn me at the stake."

"Are you sure?" The two teens were interrupted by their server who returned with their dinner dishes. Katie picked at her dessert, wondering about the pieces of the story that were going unsaid. After the waitress left, there was a long pause before Scorpius spoke.

"I don't think you appreciate the danger that knowledge can pose, especially to our society. The history texts talk about the witch burnings like they were a joke to be taken care of with a simple charm. Binns talks about them like they're over. But they're not. Oh, the stake itself may have been ineffective and retired. But… murder was and is a major threat to our society.

"I don't understand."

"Have you ever heard of the genocides in Dar Fur? Or the civil wars that are being fought in Africa? That's what happens when the magical community tries to step out of the shadows. The reason no one interfered, the reason there was so little information coming out of the region was the ICW had to step in and hush everything up. Witches and wizards were being hunted down and shot. It started very small—a couple of Healers trying to help after a natural disaster. Or a politician sees a feat of accidental magic and never forgets it. What starts as a miracle disintegrates into fear mongering and hate. And then—murder. With innocent magicals slaughtered, and a decent amount of Muggles caught in the crossfire.

"Obliviation is necessary to preserve peace. Today, it's just your Uncle Richard furious about you breaking some religious code. Tomorrow, he's talking to his priest about his hate. In a month, that priest is discussing sinful trends in his community. In a year, or two years, a priest here and a priest there build into a dedicated vigilante mob. And they don't just come for you. They go after your whole family."

"With what, pitchforks? This is the 21st century!"

"Merlin! Are you really that naive? Did you not just hear what I said? There are civil wars going on in Africa TODAY as wizards and witches try to defend themselves from machine gun fire. TODAY. And tomorrow it could be Britain, or America, or France. Since the institution of the Statute of Secrecy there have 17 organized attempts to bring the magical community into the modern Muggle world. They have all ended in disaster, as have countless other accidental, unauthorized and unorganized revelations. It doesn't work. And we can't risk it. If that offends your rule of law, well… then you have to decide how many deaths you're willing to accept to uphold your rule of law. Because there are upwards of 20,000 witches and wizards living in the United Kingdom. Does rule of law give you the right to risk their lives?"

Dianne didn't answer, and for a moment Katie thought that Scorpius would wait until she did. Finally, he seemed to decide she was listening regardless and continued on. It was obvious to Katie that Dianne was shocked by what she was hearing—the girl had probably never actually heard the purebloods perspective from their own lips. Scorpius' arguments were similar to what Katie had heard from Draco Malfoy and Marcus Flint. Except that Scorpius actually believed this. His passion was unmistakable, and he had obviously given deep thought to what he was saying. This was important to him.

"Wizards and witches have been struggling for survival since we first managed to come together into a single society. And it's not just Muggles! Everyone seems to have forgotten that we didn't just take the centaurs' ancient lands. We had to conquer those lands in order to put down the herds that were attacking Hogwarts and London. The goblins have never gone more than 200 years without trying to overthrow all semblance of order. They believe it is their species' birthright to rule the planet—humans of all kinds be damned. It's in their religion, their basic social structure. That's not something any treaty will ever over-write.

"You want to talk about SPEW? We _saved_ the house-elves. When the other Fey had hunted them nearly to extinction they came to us and _begged_ us for protection. We invented the binding to give them stronger magic. Their magic—their whole life-force—is dependent on them having a sponsoring wizarding family. It was Magic herself that interpreted the binding to make them servants. It's part of the life-debt their species owes ours. When they fight that, their own magic drives them mad.

"You want to save the giants, or the werewolves, or the vampires? Let's remember who picked the fights in the first place. Have we kept these peoples downtrodden and oppressed since we last fought them? By Merlin we have! We had to fight for centuries to get to the safety we now have. And now you want to throw it all away for some perfect order and fantasy society run by the miraculous phrase 'rule of law'.

"My great grandfather didn't spend 6 months defending his land from giants so that Hannah Abbot could give them a vote. His father didn't hunt werewolves for 7 years so that Remus Lupin could teach 3rd years about grindelows. My great-great-great-grandfather didn't risk his life trying to discover a Muggle-repelling ward, so that Hermione Granger can become a member of the Prime Minister's cabinet.

"Muggleborns come into Hogwarts and see robes and parchment and quills and think that we haven't advanced a day since the founders died. They think that bringing in jeans and notebooks will solve everything. No Grindewald if he had loved Muggles! No Voldemort if it weren't for those evil, evil Slytherins that corrupted him. Well, news-flash. Fashion doesn't exactly advance when _every generation_ is fighting for survival. Grindewald was only a _threat_ because he worked _so well_ with the _Muggles_ under _Hitler_. And Voldemort was raised and corrupted in a _Muggle_ orphanage.

"Pureblood society doesn't have orphans—every child is cared for by a family member, even if it's a few steps removed. Pureblood society doesn't have nearly the divorce rate or the infidelity rate of the Muggle society. Robbery? Next to none. Assault? Very little. We have wars, yes, but extremely little crime. The Aurors are soldiers, not policemen, for a reason. And if oppressing our opponents brings us a little more peace, so be it. I haven't had to fight a war yet. If my son doesn't have to either, it will be the longest period of peace _ever_ in the history of wizarding society in England."

Katie turned her fork slowly in her hand, listening to the Malfoy heir. It was obvious to her that Scorpius wasn't really even present in the restaurant any more. He wasn't watching Dianne for her reaction, but staring off into space. He was in his own little bubble, speaking his heart completely for perhaps the first time ever, without peers to impress or step carefully around or his father to overshadow him.

"But the Muggleborns, they want their fashions, their idealism, and their perfect world. Forget generations of sacrifice, they think they can do it better on less than seven years of studying history. Well, if they want to try to arm our enemies and liberate our foes, we are going to fight them. And if that means they leave England or forego magic, so be it. It's a waste anyways, teaching them. More than half never reach their full potential—never bother to study to try to do so. I can't say Slytherin had the right idea, because leaving Muggleborns with no training would be a disaster. But I can't say they belong at Hogwarts."

There was a long pause while Scorpius seemed to come back to himself, slowly becoming aware of his surroundings. He glanced at Dianne, who was staring at him in silence. He shifted, almost a twitch, and took a deep breath as though to say something. She didn't give him the chance.

"I see." Her voice was… distant. Controlled. It reminded Katie of the tone she'd used just before she'd gone up to the headmaster's office. To her surprise, Dianne didn't wait for Scorpius to respond. Instead, she stood up quickly and walked away. Not a moment later, Scorpius was hurrying after her.

"Dianne! WAIT! Dianne!" Scorpius was intercepted by their waitress, who was babbling about their bill. To Katie's surprise, Scorpius opened a wallet and thrust a gold card at her. "Get out of my way. DIANNE!"

Dianne didn't slow, or turn, or give any indication that she'd heard him.

* * *

><p>Scorpius could hardly breathe. Since the moment that Dianne had stood the only thought he could hold on to was that <em>she was walking away<em>. Their server had said something about a bill, and Scorpius had nearly thrown his wallet at her. Because every moment he spoke with her _Dianne was getting farther away_. Dianne wasn't running, not really, but _she wasn't getting any closer_. They were past the front of the restaurant, almost to the street corner, when he caught up to her.

"Dianne." He touched her shoulder, meaning to turn her around, to _stop her from walking away_. She whirled at the touch, suddenly _close to him_. Scorpius took a deep breath before his chest suddenly stopped working and his lungs froze. _Dianne was furious_.

"Oh, Dianne is it? Not Mudblood?"

"What?" His brain wasn't processing. He couldn't think fast enough to protest her self-humiliating scorn.

"In case you missed the memo: I'M MUGGLEBORN!" A head turned down the street at her shout. There was something he was supposed to do, something that would protect her. Something that would stop the heads staring at them.

"Dianne…" he didn't know what he wanted to say, only knew that _Dianne was furious_ and more importantly _Dianne was in danger_.

"I'm the Mudblood unworthy to go to Hogwarts. I'm the one you're _wasting magical training on_." She lowered her voice as she imitated him, mocking herself with his words. At least the heads watching them couldn't hear her. Hearing—_their hearing threatened Dianne_. Scorpius forced himself to use the wand hiding in his sleeve to protect them as he had in the restaurant. _Dianne was safe_. But that didn't change the fact that _Dianne was furious_. "I'm the Mudblood with hardly enough magic to wave a wand—the Mudblood that you so obviously hate. I'm the Mudblood who endangers you by just existing. Why are you even here?"

"Don't talk about yourself that way."

"Because I'm your mate? Because that makes me _special_?"

"You're not weak."

"Yes, I am. I barely scrape an Acceptable on any wanded test and I failed the practicals on my wanded OWLs. I don't use any magic outside of class and homework and I still needed energizers to make it through the exams. Do you know why I was in that detention with you in the first place? Professor Zabini told me I wasn't putting enough magic in my potions. I wrote the best essay in the class and prepared the potion perfectly but he wouldn't give me better than an Acceptable because I don't have enough magic to put into the brewing. And without Potions, I won't have the NEWTs I need to go into law. So, congratulations, you'll have one less Mudblood to fight with over the personhood of werewolves."

"Dianne, you can't be weak. Veela mates…"

"Yeah, I heard your father. Veela only choose powerful mates close to their age range. Well, maybe I was supposed to be powerful. But I chose to save my mum's life, even before I understood what that meant. There was a chance that my magic would never come back. When Deputy Weasley came to my house to give me my Hogwarts letter, I tried to refuse. Do you know what she told me? I could. I had so little magic after what happened that I _could_ refuse. I could walk away from magic, and we would all be Obliviated. Mum's cure would be put down to a medical miracle. I'd be free to live my Muggle life. I should have taken it."

"No." _Dianne not at Hogwarts. Dianne never catching him, never touching him. Dianne never standing close to him right now, even furious as she was. _"No."

"Yes, Scorpius, yes. What is there for me in the magical world?"

"You can write. You can be a professor. You will never have to worry about money again, Dianne. I will protect you. You're a Malfoy now."

"I'm Muggleborn. And not even a strong, powerful, special one like Hermione Granger. I'm never going to be anyone but Dianne."

"You are special to me."

"Because of the Veela."

Scorpius felt some part of him recoil from that idea, and as it did, he was able to think a small bit clearer. It was true—but it was also false. "You care. You may not understand the big picture. But you're not trying to do any harm. The opposite, in fact. You really, truly care."

She stared at him for a long moment, and Scorpius had to work hard not to flinch. He had a moment of uncertainty as the Veela begged Scorpius to reach out, to touch her, to comfort her further. It took extreme effort for Scorpius to say nothing else that would cheapen the truth with empty and idle comfort.

"You care too. I can see that you do." She looked away, crossing her arms over her chest. She breathed deeply and sighed. "We need to go pay our bill."

Scorpius felt himself blush. "Um, I gave her my card as I ran after you. But, yeah, we should probably go get it."

Dianne laughed just a tiny bit. "Yeah, we probably should. I didn't realize your father had given you the card." She gestured back behind Scorpius toward the restaurant, and they slowly returned to the Italian eatery. After several apologies and sheepish grins they managed to sort out their bill, including a generous tip, and assure the server that they hadn't wanted to take their food with them anyways.

Finally they made it back out to the street, Dianne grinning in bemusement. "Not the tamest dinner I've ever had. But I'm glad we did it. I… I'd never heard it all from a pureblood point of view before. Not all at once, and not so passionately. Thank you for being honest."

"Thank you for listening. Being in Slytherin… everything is political, especially now. The war with Voldemort undermined a lot of our society, and we've been piecing it back together. Our generation is the first ones to be truly after the war, and we all have to watch what we say and how. Being able to get it all out there…"

Scorpius couldn't help but be pleased when Dianne continued to smile at him, more somber now but still sincere. "You needed it. And I needed to hear it."

He felt tension drain out of him as the Veela finally acknowledged that Dianne was _no longer furious_. He smiled back at her. "I didn't see you eat any of your dinner, and I know I didn't actually eat any of mine."

"It's too bad they threw it away. Not that I blame them."

"Let's find somewhere else to eat. London's a big city… there has to be somewhere that didn't hear our shouting." She grinned at him.

"I'm sure there is. Any particular sort of food in mind?" They were wandering slowly down the street, back toward the corner where they'd fought, just a few inches between them.

"I don't know London very well. Anywhere around here have special sentimental value for you?" She shrugged.

"Nothing appropriate to the occasion."

"Oh? You can't just leave a statement like that hanging."

"I used to take ballet lessons just around the corner. All my favorite spots are hold-overs from when I was very, very young."

"You danced?"

"Not well."

"Will you show me?"

"What? Ballet? Heck no. Sorry, but, there's a reason that even my parents didn't see the need to keep those DVDs."

"Show me the area then. I'm curious. Let me see it through your eyes."

Dianne stopped a moment, studying him. "You really want me to? This… it's all Muggle."

"It's all you. And I'm not so ignorant that I consider Muggles to be feral or contagious. I don't hate Muggles; Derek in particular is very likable."

"You just don't think they're as important as wizards?" She began wandering towards the street corner again, not looking at Scorpius.

"I think that what they don't know doesn't hurt them. And when it does, it is balanced by the harm they would do to us if things were different."

"I think I understand."

"Do you?"

"Just because I don't believe in moral permissibility doesn't mean that I don't see where you're coming from. Just a moment—I need to call my parents and let them know the change of plans."

-Chapter End. 11,500 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, thank you for reading.

I apologize for any confusion because of the use of debate/forensics terms. Forensics is only a vehicle in this story, and it will only play a minor role after this chapter. Additionally, if any of you do participate in the TOC or other forensics leagues, you will notice taht we have taken liberties with reality to fit the story. We claim creative license.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	5. Communication

**CHAPTER FIVE: Communication**

Scorpius was patient while Dianne used the corner payphone to call the house and then Derek's cell phone, updating everyone to the change of plans. When she hung up the phone he stepped away from the wall he'd been lounging on, seeming eager to be on their way. She smiled at him and took his hand carefully, noting that this time there didn't seem to be any tension that suddenly released. She studied him slightly and realized that other than being a little red from the cold, he was the healthiest she'd seen since the detention, and possibly before.

They walked the few blocks to her old dance studio and childhood haunts. On the opposite side of street from the dark studio was a quiet ice-cream parlor, and Dianne took Scorpius inside. They ordered grilled sandwiches and settled next to a window.

"I think Derek likes you too, you know." Dianne told him when they reached a lull in her recap of her childhood enjoyment in this neighborhood.

"Oh? What makes you think that?"

"I think he thinks you're good for me. Or that you will be good for me. He certainly doesn't hate you."

"That I will be?"

"I assume my father has found an opportunity to tell you about the family expectations for a marriage?"

"Yes."

"Well, Derek has always been of the opinion that it's too tall an order for us to expect in someone. He holds that there are those with the capacity to meet my father's standards, but that more likely than not they will have to be 'trained'. My father has been telling me to look for the knight in shining armor. Derek has been looking for a decent squire."

"Your father didn't seem to disapprove of me when we spoke."

"I don't believe that he does. He's still off balance about this whole thing. I don't think he's done gathering his first impression yet."

"But your mother has enough of an impression to trust me with a fancy Italian dinner?"

"My mother has enough of an impression of you to trust _me_ with a fancy Italian dinner. I think she's a little relieved, actually. I've never had a lot of friends, and I know she worried about me dating. This probably isn't anything she could have imagined in her wildest dreams, but it might be an answer to prayer."

"I think I understand. She's fallen to the Malfoy charm."

Dianne cocked an eyebrow at him. "The Malfoy charm? I think you're seducing the wrong Reed."

"Who says I can't seduce more than one of you at once?" Dianne threw her paper napkin at him, and when he looked up in shock she grinned at him.

"Are you sure you can handle even just me?"

Scorpius gaped at her. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Would you like me to stop?" she asked, reaching over the table to lightly touch Scorpius' wrist. When she glanced back up at him he was watching her very intently.

"No. Whatever you do, don't stop." Dianne felt herself blush slightly, and was immensely glad when one of the busboys stopped by the table to fill their waters, giving her an excuse to sit back in her seat slightly. Where had that come from?

"Do you still serve bubblegum ice-cream?" She asked, glad to look away from Scorpius.

"We do. Two servings?"

"Yes. Over chocolate-chip cookies."

"Of course."

"Bubblegum ice-cream?"

"You said you wanted to see it through my eyes. Well, the last time I was here I was eight years old."

"Eight. Wow. You must have been a handful."

"Not really. I hadn't been to debate camp yet."

"Debate really changed your life, didn't it?"

"Yep. It transformed me from quiet, shy Lexi-Di into confident, if slightly forced, Dianne Reed."

"Lexi-Di?"

"My full name is Dianne Alexis Reed. In my first dance class, there were three of us named Dianne and another girl named Alexis. So I became Lexi-Di."

"Lexi-Di. I like it."

"I out-grew it a long time ago."

"It's cute. I never had a nick-name."

"Never?"

"Not too many Scorpiuses in the world. Or too many Malfoys for that matter."

"What is your full name? Just Scorpius Malfoy?"

"No. I am Scorpius Alexander Malfoy"

"Scorpius Alexander Malfoy and you've never had a nick-name. That's a crime. I shall call you Zee."

"Zee? Why Zee?" The busboy was back, so Dianne gave the newly dubbed 'Zee' a smirk as she thanked the waiter for bringing their ice-cream.

"Zee is one of the only letters not included in Scorpius Alexander Malfoy."

He gave her a puzzled look. "There are _ten_ letters not included in my full name."

"Yeah, but Zee is coolest. Unless you're petitioning to be named 'Q'?"

"Please, I surrender, Zee it is." Dianne grinned at him, and earned herself a grin back.

"Come on, try your ice-cream." He made a face.

"You ate this stuff?"

"I started coming here when I was four! I hadn't achieved perfection yet."

"You hadn't? I'm shocked."

"Quiet. I was focused on beating the arcade games."

"At the risk of seeming the idiot, what is an arcade game?"

And so it was that Dianne drug 'Zee' to the counter to pay their bill and then led him to the mum-and-pop arcade center at the end of the street. It took a bit for him to catch on and stop gaping every time he saw an electronic move, but after an introduction to air-hockey he transformed from a cautious pureblood into a wide-eyed child. Dianne followed his decent into madness and rode the endorphin high from laughing with him. She showed him bumper cars and then together they navigated an animated jungle armed with only misfiring plastic weapons.

It felt… right. At ten Dianne borrowed the arcade's phone to call Derek as she had been instructed. As she and 'Zee' waited outside, wearing the cheap glow-stick jewelry they'd won from the clown-shooting-range, she leaned against him casually and it took her a moment to realize he'd wrapped his arms around her. He rested his cheek on her head, sighed in contentment, and then suddenly began to move away.

"I'm so sorry. I forgot, I…" He stopped babbling when Dianne caught both of his wrists in her hands and slowly maneuvered his arms back into their relaxed circle around her.

"This feels right. Just… don't hold too tight, okay?" Slowly his hands relaxed, and then she could feel the rest of him follow. "Thank you for remembering. And for trying to make it right. I… we'll figure this out together, okay?"

"Okay." She grinned into the darkness, laying her head back against him again. A moment later, Zee brushed his lips against her temple in the lightest of kisses. "Good or bad?" He whispered into her ear. Dianne felt a rush of adrenaline, like when she had flirted with him in the ice-cream parlor.

"Good." She whispered back. And then, as she spotted a familiar car at the end of the street, she added, "I wonder if Derek will agree?" Scorpius straightened on instinct, jumping guiltily. Dianne couldn't help but laugh, still flying high on the night's endorphins and her adrenalin rush.

So things weren't perfect. There were differences between them that would have to be resolved.

At this moment, everything felt…right.

* * *

><p>"Let me get this straight… You believe that a fat guy in a red jacket comes down your chimney once a year, and not only are you not creeped out, you actually give him <em>cookies<em>?"

"Oh for the love of… no, we don't actually believe in Santa. It's just a tradition—a kids' story."

"So it's alright to encourage your kids to believe in the value of breaking and entering so long as the responsible adults are lying to them about it?" Scorpius tried to keep a straight face, he really did, but when Dianne threw up her hands in frustration and turned away from him, speechless to answer his inquiry, he couldn't help but laugh. Gently, he turned her back towards him with a gentle hand on her shoulder, which she didn't resist. "I'm sorry to tease you."

"No, you're right. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But, it's our culture. Traditions don't always make sense."

"I know. And I have to say, I think these reindeer are a lot more attractive than your barnyard scene."

"For the last time, it's a nativity set."

"Your mother calls it crèche."

"Regardless, it's not a barnyard. And don't let Uncle Richard hear you say otherwise."

"Or what?" She threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Or I will explain it to you again and again and again until you are bored stiff and can recite it in your sleep."

"I could never be bored with your voice." She looked away, blushing, and didn't answer. The day was going well, despite the oddness of the culture he now found himself in, and he resolved to give her a bit of time before teasing her again. Dianne was certainly not as comfortable as she had been the night before, and she hadn't flirted with him much if at all since he'd wandered into the kitchen that morning. But she was allowing brief, casual touches and gestures and she hadn't reprimanded him yet for his playfulness with her.

Scorpius had no intention of pushing her, especially since the Veela was feeling more satisfied than he could remember it being since he had first become intimately aware of it, but he also didn't want to lose the ground he had gained in the past few days. Finally, Dianne seemed to wake up from her thoughts and bumped his shoulder to get his attention, completely unaware of the fact that his concentration had never wavered far from her in the first place.

"Finger," she commanded, and Scorpius obediently placed his finger firmly against the ribbon she was tying around the reindeer's neck, holding the knot in place while she adjusted the bow. Derek appeared at Dianne's elbow, holding something out on a fork for her to try.

"Too much cinnamon?" He asked as she took whatever it was.

"Nope. Could use a touch of lemon juice though."

"You're an angel." He said, and then Derek had disappeared back to the kitchen, the only indication that he hadn't Apparated being the obnoxious singing that allowed him to be tracked every step of his journey.

"If he's going to ask your opinion every 15 minutes, why aren't _you_ helping your mother in the kitchen?"

"And leave you men-folk to fend for yourselves in decorating and bow-tying?" Scorpius laughed, having to acknowledge the point. Josh had been absolutely useless in decoration and had set up camp on one end of the dining room table, working on his debate materials and humming and singing pieces of the Christmas songs without seeming to realize he was doing so. The two patriarchs were outside, attaching lights to the eaves of the house and laying nets of lights over the bushes and lawn.

It was obvious to Scorpius that although the whole family was in a better mood this morning, which could only be attributed to the 'official' start of the Christmas season, Dianne and Helen were the real forces of nature in the house. It was they who had compelled everyone from their beds with the smell of pies and cookies and the not-so-subtle Christmas music.

The whole house was so different than he had yet seen it; it was almost difficult to remember the tension that he had witnessed at that very table. The first night, when he had watched the family fall apart at Dianne's revelations, he had wondered why she had not already taken advantage of the termination services available to Muggleborns. After hearing her father's passionate recounting of her mother's healing and seeing first hand Dianne's adamant defense of Muggles he had understood, intellectually, that her bond with her family was strong. It was not until she was explaining the cultural and personal significance behind the holiday decorations that he began to actually appreciate her position.

"HELEN!" It was Richard, yelling from the front door to avoid tracking dirt into the foray. "Do you have any more nets hidden away in the inside boxes?"

Helen emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. "No, why?"

"Your husband and I have had a brilliant idea to re-design the lights this year, but we are going to need about ten more nets."

"Of course you are. I swear, every year we buy more and more lights and every year you two manage to use them all!"

"And every year the house becomes lovelier." Dianne interjected. Helen smiled in agreement, but still added,

"Just don't get our lawn mistaken for a landing strip."

"Promise. The only person landing on this property will be one Mr. Claus." Dianne glanced at Scorpius and blushed, as though acknowledging the ridiculousness of their traditions.

"Never mind that. Lunch is almost done, get yourselves cleaned up. You two go the store after that, and we'll do the tree this afternoon. You can finish the lights tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am!"

"Do the tree?" Scorpius whispered to her. Dianne waited for the adults to retreat back to their work stations before she answered him.

"To be honest, I'm not sure where that tradition started. I think it's European, but I'm not sure. Christmas trees are evergreens which people decorate—usually they're fake trees but some people still chop and use actual firs."

"Decorate?"

"Yeah—lights, glass, ornaments… My great-grandmother used to use popcorn strings and berry strands with pinecones and candles, very much a natural look. We use more modern items. I'm surprised you don't know it… I thought it was one we shared with wizards since there are always 12 huge trees in the Great Hall each year."

Scorpius watched her carefully as she adjusted ribbons and arranged the figures on shelves. Was she serious? "You don't know the history of the guardians?" She turned from her work in surprise, perhaps sensing his seriousness.

"No. Is there a history?"

"Yes. A very important one, actually. Those trees are the focus of powerful protection spells. Technically, they're just a tradition now, but I don't know a single household that doesn't take them seriously."

She was frozen on her step stool, looking down at him intently. "Tell me more?"

"Of course. What do you want to know?"

"You said they're protection. From what?"

"What do you know of the faerie wars?"

"Um… approximately the 800s, fought mostly in Ireland and Scotland, although there was a secondary uprising 50 years later in Germany followed by outbreaks in Africa and Japan. The wizards won, I assume, because one doesn't hear much about faeries anymore. I haven't done a lot of research on them, because there isn't a lot to be done for the extinct."

Dianne's tone didn't waver at the last admission, but she did break eye contact. Scorpius' stomach clenched to realize how invested she was in opposing the reforms, and he could feel the Veela start to shift as well with the knowledge that their fight was still affecting her. However, in the interest of her curiosity, he set both concerns aside. "We did win. But it was only necessary because the faeries got invited across the void by a wizard who didn't know any better."

"A Muggleborn." Scorpius couldn't deny it, but moved on rather than open that issue again.

"They started stretching other boundaries… you see, they are strictly bound by their laws but only so long as we wizards hold them responsible. When he invalidated the most basic of all their laws he put everything else in jeopardy. Most of the damage was repaired, but there are still weak times. Winter solace was especially dangerous so for generations we guarded ourselves. Now, with the laws re-enforced by time once again, we don't have much to fear. But the guardians are good reminders, so we continue the tradition amongst the families."

"How do trees guard against faeries?"

"There is a ward to tie them to… I can ask my father for the details and we'll cast it one night, just the two of us."

"I think I'd like that."

"FAMILY! LUNCH!"

"COMING HELEN!"

"That's our signal too."

"Of course."

* * *

><p>It surprised Henry, looking back, to realize how easily Scorpius joined their Christmas traditions after the initial scandal had been fixed. It wasn't that he was unnoticed, but at the same time he wasn't a massive intrusion as he had expected and anticipated. The family decorated, baked, and relaxed as they always did, and though Scorpius was often focused on Dianne it was not to the exclusion of the entire family.<p>

In fact, Scorpius seemed eager to integrate himself into their life as much as possible. He was especially valuable to Josh, letting him practice his speeches and showing him different postures and hand gestures that had been borrowed from the elder Malfoy who apparently was a politician. Helen accepted him at face value, neither supporting him nor judging him, but he didn't seem to know how to treat her in return, and Henry wondered if it was a reflection on Helen or his relationship with women in general. Even Richard seemed to like Scorpius, although that could be an extension of the entire family's tolerance and slowly developing affection. He was a good kid and (even more importantly) showed flashes of becoming a good man. It was enough for Henry to almost look forward to the upcoming dinner with the boy's parents.

In the end, the dinner went very well. He was even able to make an acceptable excuse to Richard for their evening absence. There were tense, uncomfortable moments and a few awkward silences, but the food was excellent and that alone eased the whole party more than he had ever known to be possible. Draco understood their concerns about Dianne spending so much time away from them—particularly as she couldn't get home as easily as Scorpius seemed to—and graciously allowed that she visit the Malfoy home only for a few major celebrations, including their winter ball. The Malfoys' understanding—in conjunction with Draco's confirmation of Scorpius's success in business and promising future in politics—helped to ease Henry's reservations. He had noticed Dianne becoming more and more comfortable with Scorpius, slowly allowing him increasing degrees of casual contact, and from his own experiences with Helen he read that to mean she was accepting the situation and beginning to fall for the boy whose life she was saving. Henry wasn't sure what to feel about that, and so did his best to be impartial and feel nothing at all.

That plan fled for cover just a few days later.

* * *

><p>"Sir?" Henry glanced up from his laptop, surprised to be interrupted in his work, particularly by Scorpius. "May I have a word?"<p>

"Of course. Come in." The corner of the master bedroom that served as workstation and office did not have another chair, but Scorpius didn't seem to be looking to sit down. Although Henry and Scorpius had interacted plenty in the past week, they had rarely been alone and he was curious to see what had his daughter's suitor seeking him out.

"I need to speak with you… it's about Dianne's Christmas gift." Somehow, Henry doubted Scorpius would come to him for advice given how helpful Derek had been, but without any idea where the conversation was going he played along.

"Ah—the trouble of men the world over. What to give their girl?" And yes, after a week of seeing them together Henry had finally wrapped his head around the idea of his daughter being a 'girlfriend'.

"Actually, sir, I have a gift. But given Derek's reaction to it I thought it would be… prudent… to speak with you prior to the 25th." Considering Derek seemed to be firmly on team 'love boat' Henry's already twitching intuition was now screaming.

"And what is this gift?"

"I want to give Dianne a ring." Henry could feel his face reacting even as Scorpius continued on. "Not an engagement ring, sir. Derek thought it was and sort of, well, freaked out. But it isn't."

"Rings are a big deal. They mean a lot to our culture. Perhaps you could give her another piece of jewelry?"

"Rings mean a great deal to wizards, also, sir. But, they mean different things. I don't suppose you remember what I said about wizards not dating?" Of course he remembered, it had been a great reassurance to him to see Scorpius defend Dianne against any threat—even an imagined one. He nodded and Scorpius continued on. "The ring I want to give Dianne is symbolic, but not of engagement. It is a little difficult to explain, but it basically means that I am respecting her. It means I have my parents' permission and oversight of the relationship and that there is nothing untoward going on.

"In the wizarding world, courtship happens a little differently. In the first stage, the parents of the two youth meet and talk and eventually agree to a contract, either for courtship or marriage. Then, when the actual pursuit begins, the girl wears a ring to declare that a contract is active, that she is 'taken' so to speak, and that everything is legitimate. The Intention Ring also gives the girl and her family power, because removing it is a very public declaration that the man or his family was found unfit."

"And you want to give this to her for Christmas so that she can wear it to your parent's party on the 26th."

"Yes sir."

"By wearing this ring, she isn't in any way binding herself to you, is she?"

"No. She…" Scorpius had to take a deep breath and he shifted on his feet for the first time in the entire conversation. "She could still walk away at any time."

"Alright. You have my blessing. Thank you for explaining this to me, even if Derek had to prompt you. May I see the ring?"

Scorpius produced it from his pocket, folded in a small handkerchief. It was a simple gold and silver band, like two pieces of string twisted together. Careful examination showed that although the form kept them from moving against each other, the two metals were not actually welded together.

"It is a good choice—she likes simple jewelry."

"As does any witch with good taste. It is traditional of an intention band."

* * *

><p>"Admit it, Aunt Summer's ball was more entertaining."<p>

"I admit it freely." Scorpius tightened the hand on her waist just slightly as he altered their course yet again. Dianne couldn't tell if it was his attempt to make the dance more interesting or if he was avoiding people she had not yet recognized, but they seemed to be moving in the oddest of patterns for a simple ballroom dance. Luckily, it did not impede their conversations. "But you cannot deny that robes are more comfortable."

"I don't know, you looked pretty comfortable stretched out on the floor watching Disney. Even if it was a perfectly good waste of dancing time." They had been asked to supervise the youngest guests, and Dianne had enjoyed seeing Scorpius relax and laugh at a bit of her Muggle culture.

"You do realize we are dancing now, do you not?"

"This isn't dancing. This is strolling in set patterns. Dancing should involve rhythm, spins, and much laughing." That caused Scorpius to laugh, although he did so quietly. Dianne smiled, pleased at his humor, even though she missed the freer laughter she had associated with him previously. It was odd to think that she could miss an attribute she hadn't particularly noticed before this evening.

Scorpius shifted their path again, and then gave a resigned sigh. "It would seem that our strolling is at an end."

"In the middle of a song?"

"It is that or lose you to any of the many men who wish to cut in. They are no doubt seeking to satisfy their curiosity, and I cannot politely refuse them."

"That's who you've been avoiding. Why dance at all if it makes you so nervous?" Scorpius had led them to an edge of the floor and he held her close as they stepped off the slightly raised platform.

"Because when I am dancing, I need only converse with you." He wasn't even looking at her as he said it, too busy scanning the crowd and keeping them from running into anyone, but the sincerity made her blush and look away from him. The warmth that had resided in her all night at his proximity moved just a little, and she forced herself not to grin like an idiot. Catherine would laugh to see her having such a crush.

"I'm honored. Truly. But you have all Christmas with me. Don't you want to see your friends?"

"Make no mistake, I miss Edward and my other classmates, but only in the abstract. I have a headache already just imagining all the layers in the conversations tonight."

"At least Josh has been keeping you in practice."

"You have no idea. The formality you use to befuddle opponents, we Slytherins use to convey messages that cannot be politely rebutted."

"We'll have to compare notes after each conversation and make sure I didn't miss anything." Dianne said it teasingly, but Scorpius frowned slightly at the thought, and she realized belatedly that most of the sub-text was likely to be aimed at her, as the Muggleborn who had stolen England's most eligible bachelor. "Is that Macnair?"

"Yes. Helena, a not-distant cousin, and in your year. And that's Flint with her. He's a second cousin to both Macnair and myself, two years graduated."

The pair were obviously headed for them, and were in hearing range before Scorpius could say anything more. Dianne vaguely recognized Macnair as obnoxious, with a sharp wit, but Flint she knew only by sight.

"This evening is simply marvelous, Scorpius, as always. Though I must say, I may have preferred the summer lawn dances. Will that too become tradition?" Macnair's greeting seemed a little forced, and Scorpius stiffened next her. Dianne felt herself straighten also, slipping into her debate mask.

"I cannot say for certain. That would be dependent on my mother's discretion and to my knowledge there has been no discussion on the topic, though, I doubt they will continue. They are, after all, no longer necessary." Dianne recalled Scorpius mentioning that he had searched for his mate all summer—evidently by hosting parties. Well, dancing did give many opportunities for skin-on-skin contact. And a socialite like Macnair would have enjoyed the opportunities they created for other relationships to develop.

"Good evening Scorpius!" Flint shook Scorpius' hand with both of his, then caught hers to kiss the back of it. Dianne was thankful, again, that she had bought gloves for this outfit. Though it meant less contact for Scorpius, she had been able to avoid contact by everyone else, which he had thanked her for. "Dianne Reed, I presume?" An unkind chuckle. "It is amazing, the beauty that can be hidden behind books!"

Macnair laughed lightly, pleased with the backhanded compliment and unable to resist. "Quite. You are fortunate, Scorpius, that circumstance brought her out of her seclusion. Imagine—your circles might never have intersected otherwise!" And there was the subtext dig against her heritage. They had made it 30 seconds. Amazing.

"Perhaps you should try a few detentions of your own, Helena, since my own circles have proven so limited for us both." Dianne felt her forced smile grow slightly more genuine at Scorpius' rejoinder. So the socialite had not been successful at the summer parties. Belatedly, Dianne realized that she could have surmised the same from Macnair's lack of a ring, but she was still growing accustomed to looking for symbols in subtle attire. Not that she was in any way complaining about the gorgeous gift Scorpius had given her in accordance with that tradition.

Before either of their peers could respond, Professor Zabini approached them and broke into the conversation with little more than a nod of greeting. "Scorpius, there you are! You must come and introduce Dianne to the Minister." It seemed that being their professor was enough to excuse his bluntness and encourage obedience, because the other two gave quick goodbyes and left, even as Zabini was already leading them away.

"Are you enjoying your vacation?"

"Yes, godfather, of course." Zabini did not wait for an answer from her, and Dianne was more than happy to settle a half a step behind Scorpius while he dealt with his godfather. She had never particularly liked him as a professor or as an individual, and it had in fact been an argument with him that had put her in detention in the first place. So, as Zabini led them from politician to politician and used only the blandest of tones to defend her in face of increasingly repetitive slights, she simply smiled, nodded, and carried herself as best as she knew how.

She could feel Scorpius growing annoyed when Zabini was stopped by a recently graduated student seeking an apprenticeship and easily followed him as they slipped away.

"I take it Professor Zabini does not approve of me?"

Scorpius made a face, but was forced to acknowledge the truth. "He has difficulty believing that a Veela could mate with anything less _his_ ideal of a spectacularly talented witch. Particularly a Muggleborn. If he saw what you've done for Josh for Berkley, he wouldn't be so judgmental. Merlin—if he had half an idea of the research you've done just concerning the reforms in the Wizengamot he'd be giving you Os in Potions to _guarantee_ your acceptance to a law firm. He respects hard work and good wit. He just doesn't see it in anyone outside of Slytherin."

"He doesn't look for it, you mean."

Scorpius nodded slightly to acknowledge the point, but was kept from answering by an approaching guest. The man, who introduced himself to Scorpius as Phillip Vega, was tall, with sharp features, and did nothing to hide his powerful presence behind the formalities that seemed to permeate every other interaction at the ball.

"May I present Dianne Reed, my intended mate?" It was the first Scorpius had had to introduce her all evening, as everyone else had proudly guessed her identity as though it was a great feat, and she reminded herself to ask about the relationship title. Perhaps they needed another DTR in light of the ring he'd given her?

Nonetheless, it was hardly the time for such thoughts, as Phillip took her hand and shook it firmly, also a first for the evening. "I apologize if I overstep myself, but I don't suppose you'd understand what I meant if I were to pursue a discourse concerning the advancement of Lockean social contract theory in early America?"

The question threw her so thoroughly that Dianne had already automatically answered "Pragmatically or philosophically?" before it occurred to her that there was no reasonable explanation for a wizarding politician to be referencing her last Congressional tournament. Luckily Vega seemed a little off-beat as well, which was odd considering he'd brought the subject up, but then he laughed and gave her hand one more shake—as though she had won a prize or passed a test— before he released it.

"I thought I recognized you. I was most impressed by you, especially in that round. Merlin knows I must have sat through days of Congress at that tournament, and just watching you made it all worth it." Vega was undoubtedly referring to the Berkley Congressional Tournament four years previously, which had been her last tournament as a competitor. It was not uncommon for the tournaments to be used by scouts of all kinds, but it was difficult to imagine an English wizard among the watchers.

Dianne found herself glad she was already in her debate persona so that she could carry on a conversation and wonder at the coincidence simultaneously. "I can't believe you'd remember me several years later." And if she was flattered, it was probably deserved because she'd been out of the spotlight of Congress for four years, and he had not only remembered her but had also remembered the topic of her favorite speech.

"How could I not? It was one of—no— it was the _best_ speech I have ever seen. And the crossfire—you didn't give an inch." Dianne felt herself flush at the continued praise and looked away from Vega, filling in Scorpius as an excuse to buy herself time. Something about the situation felt… false: like a cross-examination that was setting up for a trapping question.

"I used to compete in Congress instead of just helping Josh. The last year that I did, it must have been 3 or 4 years ago now," as though she could forget, "there was a topic about constitutionalism and just governance, applicable social contracts and such. I gave the closing for the affirmative, and was responsible for the 10 minute follow-up period afterwards. Evidently, I made an impression."

"An impression!" Vega chuckled again. "I tried to offer you a scholarship that night, but your parents turned it down. Said you were going to a private school. I suppose Hogwarts would count." Interesting. So he was a scout for a Muggle school, but attending the Malfoy's ball.

"What were you doing at a Congress tournament?" Sometimes, there was simply no discrete way to ask a question, and she felt Scorpius give her hand a slight squeeze of appreciation.

"Same as I will be doing this year: looking for talent. I am the assistant director of the Federalists of Iceland. The Muggle government completely re-wrote their constitution not a decade ago, and we are pushing for a similar reform. We're finally gaining momentum, and we could use young voices and new ideas. Will I see you at Berkley again this year?" And if that wasn't a thin cover followed by a misdirect, Dianne was a firstie dropping her VCs. Iceland, really? The Muggle history fit of course (it had in fact been a large portion of her evidence in the aforementioned speech) but the whole thing rang empty. Still, it would be interesting to see where this set-up was going.

"No. I'm just sponsoring this year."

"Hmm. Your cousin, I suppose?"

"Joshua Reed." Neutral, carefully so. Would he flatter her cousin falsely? Would he be overly harsh?

"A perfectly good waste of words. He should focus his attentions on his original events instead of playing the system for bids. He won't be half the congressman you could have been." It was sharp criticism, but truthful enough from the right perspective. "Well, I'll see if I can't separate what he says from how he says it. Nothing to say a scholarship might not still be in your future, if you're as good now as you were when I saw you." So the scholarship was true, perhaps it was just Iceland that was false?

"My parents have already paid for this year of Hogwarts."

"You've taken your OWLs, haven't you?"

"Well, yes." And here it came, whatever it was that he has leading to. When one starting asking verifying questions, the end of the argument was in sight.

"Then it's time to be thinking about University. You'll want to have a few poli-sci classes before you actually start writing." Swift and deft. And another misdirection.

"Writing?"

"All change requires media, literature, and journalism. Pamphlets' modern equivalent." Yet another allusion to her speech. Had he read a transcript before coming to the ball? It was an interesting tactic to assume she would be writing, and one that Scorpius recognized as well if his tighter hold was anything to judge by. It was time to stop following Vega's carefully laid plans.

"I haven't agreed to help you. I don't even know what you're supporting!" Dianne kept her tone carefully teasing, and her body language completely forceful. Vega just smiled and waved his hand lightly, as though brushing away her concern.

"Of course. I apologize, I get ahead of myself. Here—look this over." It was a slim, bound set of pages, easy for him to carry and suspiciously available. "Our literature. Consider it—a chance to practice everything you've played at in Congress. Iceland would love to have someone as promising as you. I think, compared to English society, you will find it quite… liberating." Vega glanced back, toward the minister, as he said it. He was no more subtle than Zabini. Dianne accepted the literature, curious as to what sort of modern-day Federalist Papers he might have to support his Iceland charade. "University is standard for our youth, including those we recruit. There is so much more to life than simple spells. Just as there is more to a person than their magic, or heritage."

It was too blatant a statement to ignore without insulting her own intelligence, so Dianne met his gaze steadily, waiting a long moment before responding by excusing them both with as much force and presumption as he had used throughout the conversation. "Thank you. I'm afraid, though, that we were looking for someone before we encountered you. It was certainly serendipitous to find each other again, but Scorpius and I are needed." To his credit, he accepted her reproof graciously, stepping to one side in case they wished to pass him.

"Of course. Owl me when you've read those papers."

"Good evening." Scorpius said as he led Dianne away, perhaps a touch faster than necessary, but Dianne did not mind. Scorpius led them straight to the gardens and once hidden in them told her, "There are enough privacy charms here to buy us a few minutes at least." He went quiet for a moment, then seemed unable to contain himself. "How presumptuous!"

Dianne smiled slightly, still holding the tiny book, and amused by Scorpius' irritation. "Yes, he was certainly enthusiastic, wasn't he?"

"Enthus…" Scorpius' righteous indignation faded to exasperation. "Imagine finding wizarding politicians in Muggle tournaments to re-write a government that has been stable for hundreds of years!" While Dianne doubted that was the truth of the matter, she didn't feel it was as outrageous as Scorpius indicated.

"Hush. I'm sure I'm not the only witch or wizard to use forensics as good practice for public speaking in general. Debate would have been a great opportunity for you, since you're so eager to take over the Malfoy seat." Scorpius chose not to argue that, and Dianne knew he was remembering that practice with Josh had helped him already this evening. Style was universal, regardless of ideology.

"Even so, Iceland is hardly a likely home for a revolution." That was indeed the most obvious flaw in the strain of conversation, but not necessarily a falsehood.

"Perhaps. I won't be able to say anything more on the subject until I've read their position and compared them to history and contemporary events." Which would be a good exercise anyways, to study another wizarding country's government for comparison to England's.

"You're actually going to pursue this?" Scorpius' hold on her hand tightened, and Dianne stopped walking to turn and face him completely, responding to his tension.

"I'm not eager to go running off to a scholarship in Iceland because of an offer from a man I've never met before tonight." Particularly one so suspicious. "But it is ridiculous not to follow up on an opportunity like this." Because despite everything else and the fact that it was likely just a stepping stone in his pitch, the thought of Muggle university was appealing.

"If it's money you're worried about…"

"No, Scorpius. But, I have to do something with my life." It was becoming obvious that a career in wizarding England would be difficult. Maybe University would be a safe alternative.

"Running an estate…"

"Your mother runs Malfoy estates, several charities, and is helping rebuild wizarding society following a major war. I think I'd have time to follow a revolution." And now that she was thinking about it, the idea had some appeal. If she couldn't write the history of the past, perhaps she could write the history of the present.

"In another country."

"Goodness! I'm not chasing this Scorpius. I'm just not throwing this away until I know what it is. Who knows, maybe Vega is actually supporting anarchy and I'll be writing for the opponents instead. I'm not signing on the dotted line, just considering window shopping." She held his gaze a moment, searching his face, and felt his grip lessen slightly. "Alright?"

Scorpius sighed heavily, but he answered her. "Alright."

* * *

><p>"Actually, things are going really well." It bugged Dianne that Catherine didn't seem to believe her. "Honestly. My family likes him too."<p>

"To be clear, this is Scorpius Malfoy we're talking about, right?"

"Yes, Catherine. Why do you have to be so negative? He's been a perfect gentleman."

"Except when he Obliviated your uncle." Dianne looked away from the camera, choosing to focus on styling her hair.

"Yeah. I have to say though…" How could she say it? "I think Derek may have had a point. Richard has been… better."

"He threatened to stone you."

"No. He didn't. And even if he had, it wouldn't matter. He was in a temper, that's all. It had been a long day for all of us and none of us were at our best. Since then, he's been great. Really, really great."

"Because he's happily back to believing the lie."

"Like I said, I think they had a point."

"Who are you and what have you done with Dianne?"

"Who are you and why are you so intent on being so absolutely negative?" Dianne set down her curling iron, resigned to just pin back the strands that would not be tamed.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm the concerned best friend. This is exactly what I was worried about when this whole thing started. You have to look out for you!"

"That's what Scorpius was doing when he brought the Obliviators in."

"If he hadn't bonded, you wouldn't have told Richard and you wouldn't have needed to cross your own moral boundaries and condone Obliviation."

"I didn't have to tell him. I made that choice. And right or wrong, that mistake was fixed."

"What happened to rule of law?"

Dianne didn't answer her friend, instead examining the make-up she'd laid out on her dresser. The honest truth was that she'd done a lot of thinking after her first date with Scorpius, once she'd calmed down enough to listen to the words and facts instead of hearing simple, blind bigotry. He had made some decent points, and she had spent the time since examining her world view, and wondering if she wasn't missing some shades of grey between the black and white of the rule of law. Those doubts weren't enough for her to voice to Catherine, however, and eventually her friend moved on.

"Where are you two going tonight anyways? I thought the Malfoys' ball was two days ago?"

"It was. We're going to a dinner theater. There's this Spanish opera dance/dinner performance group that is here for the week and Derek gave me a pair of tickets for Christmas. I was going to take Derek, since he taught me Spanish and that's sort of been our thing, you know? But he had something come up last minute with a college friend of his. A lady friend, if I'm not mistaken. It would explain the romantic mood he's been in this break."

"You and Scorpius are going to salsa?"

"I doubt it. At Summer's winter bash he demonstrated difficulty with basic swing dancing. Honestly, with how complex some of those waltzes are you'd think he could keep track of a simple set of jazz steps."

"You're getting this dressed up for a night you won't even be dancing?"

"Well it's not like I can dance with anyone else."

"Why not?" Catherine continued quickly, perhaps sensing Dianne's protest. "You love to salsa, and this is your Christmas present. If you went with Derek, you'd dance with him and anyone else who asked. Scorpius doesn't own you. If he can't or won't dance with you, why shouldn't you enjoy yourself? You need to look out for yourself."

"It's a date, Catherine."

"Speaking of, how did the last one go—the ball?"

"Scorpius was a perfect gentleman."

"Wow. That was a dodging statement if I ever heard one. A perfect gentleman… I take it someone else wasn't?"

"Oh, nothing overt. Just Slytherins being Slytherins."

"Something did happen."

"Nothing major. Scorpius managed the situations well. We moved around the room a lot, never stayed at one conversation too long."

"So what happened?"

"Like I said, it was subtle. Nothing worse than the sort of bigotry we see at Hogwarts, and in fact most of it much more muted. It was actually really interesting. Scorpius would bristle and rebut the comment and then not a minute later he would find us an excuse to leave. It was like my first summer at debate camp all over again. I guess each culture speaks its own sub-language, and every one of them has its class of insults."

"He stood up for you?"

"He did as much as he could. He certainly made most of the people we spoke to as uncomfortable as they made him. It was all so subtle and shaded. Look, can we please not talk about that?"

"Tell me something else about the ball then. Did you meet the Minister?"

"No. We were intercepted." Sensing a good distraction, Dianne left the statement hanging, praying Catherine took the bait. True to form, any subject which Dianne didn't immediately elaborate on was worth noticing in Catherine's book.

"Oh? Who by?"

"Philip Vega. Get this: he's a huge political activist in Iceland. He's one of the leaders of the push to re-write the magical constitution in keeping with the Muggle government's revision a decade ago." At least he had claimed so, and the movement was real enough, as was the literature he'd given her. "He and other political leaders need people under them to do a lot of the writing and researching, so he scouts at the big forensics tournaments each year. He intercepted us because he remembered me."

"I thought it had been years since you competed?"

"It has been. This year is my fourth being out of it, but he remembers my last speech at Berkley, my last year."

"It was that good?"

"There's a reason I chose to walk away when I did—end on a high note and all that." And with the way Catherine was acting Dianne didn't feel remiss in bragging a bit. "I never thought it would become infamous, but I guess it was better than I thought. He wants to give me a scholarship to go to University and then go to Iceland when I graduate."

"Iceland? To help the reform?"

"From what he said, I think he wants me writing their literature. Maybe even helping draft the constitution itself."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Although, it may end up being a little more of 'meet me at the tennis courts' and a little less 'keep the windows shut'. People either want a revolution or a continuance; no one is really calling for a minor revision here. At least, that's what I gather from the literature he gave me and what little I can read between the lines on in international news. It was the same thing in the Muggle situation, and their new government is strong."

"That's amazing. You must be thrilled. What did Derek say?"

"Oh, he's proud of course. And teasing me about being such a geek to be known for a four year old speech."

"And Scorpius?"

"Well, he's not enthusiastic about Iceland. And I don't think he liked Vega. He was a bit overwhelming, and at least I knew what we were talking about the whole time. I think we lost Scorpius for a bit."

"Whatever you do, Dianne, don't let Scorpius keep you from this. You need this, it's an amazing opportunity for you. You were remembered for four years—that's awesome. If he's not excited for you, that's his problem."

"Thanks Catherine." Not that her criticism was needed, but it was nice to know that her friend was so securely on her side.

"Hey, what are best friends for?"

* * *

><p>"A dance, señorita?"<p>

To Scorpius' immense relief, Dianne declined the handsome young man who was paused by their table.

"No, thank you. I just sat down."

"Una bella como usted…" Scorpius may not have been as fluent in Spanish as Dianne was, but the night had been long enough that he knew better than to let their unwelcome visitor continue.

"You have your answer, sir." Scorpius met his contemptuous gaze for a moment before the man disappeared.

"Is everything okay?" Dianne seemed genuinely concerned, so Scorpius took a moment to compose a less acidic comment than the one which had sprung to the fore-front of his mind.

"These men are too eager. He had to be twice your age at least!"

"I said no."

"To him." Dianne didn't answer him, choosing to look away instead. She watched the dance floor for a while, but Scorpius didn't even glance away from her. She shifted uncomfortably, and a part of Scorpius was glad to see it. Perhaps now she would cease the infernal dancing. It was because he was watching her that he saw the small smile that she gave to someone—likely one of the many men she'd danced with already. "Don't." It was much less than he wanted to say, but it got her attention none-the-less.

"Don't what?"

"I saw that."

"I smiled. It's not a crime."

"I thought this was supposed to be a date."

"Wow. It's one smile. Jealous much?"

"That cretin put his hands all over you!"

"Do you even know who you're referring to? I assure you that I haven't let anyone take any advantage. You can't dance the salsa with a foot of space between partners."

"You shouldn't be dancing with them."

"If you were willing to learn, I'd dance with you."

"They would still be looking at you."

"I wonder why. I dressed up tonight to look good for you. I can't do that and not catch other people's eyes. You didn't have a problem with everyone staring at me at your parent's ball."

"That was different."

Dianne didn't answer him, choosing to look away instead. After a moment she said, "If you didn't want to come tonight, you wouldn't have had to. Josh would have taken me, or I could have gotten my dad or even Uncle Richard to do it."

"You'd still be dancing with every suit that asked!"

"Actually, I wouldn't. I'd be dancing with my escort, because my escort would be willing to dance."

"I don't know how."

"Well what did you think we were going to do, Scorpius? We've been calling them 'salsa tickets' since I got them! If you needed help, you could have asked Derek. Or we could be over there, on the learners' floor, and I'd be teaching you." Two men passed their table, and one paused as though to speak.

"No, she doesn't want to dance." Scorpius didn't even allow him to ask, and after a surprised glance, the two moved away with a muttered apology.

"That was rude."

"He was intruding."

"You're being oversensitive." But Scorpius didn't feel over sensitive. No other girl that Scorpius could see was getting this level of attention from suitors they had not come with. And Dianne had already danced with three separate partners, each better dressed than the last. Remembering the last dance made him grind his teeth together as he had when he watched the good-looking youth dip Dianne while she laughed openly.

"You are here with me."

"Well maybe this was a mistake. Because you can't seem to get it through your head that this—all this—is just harmless fun. I am allowed to dance and have a good time. That is kind of the point of Derek giving me the tickets."

"I find it inappropriate—"

"—There is nothing inappropriate about this! This is how you salsa!"

"Excuse me, señorita, is this man bothering you?" Dianne looked up at the well-dressed security man who had approached. As much as there was general concern, his voice was also slightly admonishing. Their argument had been noticed.

"No, sir, but thank you. I am sorry to have made a scene. Would call our car?" She handed over the ticket stub with their information. "We'll be out front in just a moment." Dianne watched him leave, and didn't look back to Scorpius after he was out of sight.

"Dianne, I…"

"No. I should have foreseen that the Veela wouldn't be able to handle this." Scorpius felt his anger grow at that. This wasn't about the Veela! In fact, the Veela should have been thrilled to see her enjoying herself as she had been. But whatever protests that part of him had with Scorpius' attitude was completely drowned out by the fury he had at the thought of someone else's hands on Dianne's waist. "We should go."

Scorpius waited until they were in their rented town car and he had cast a privacy ward to speak again.

"Perhaps we should avoid dances, given our track record with them?"

"What, you mean the way they highlight your possessiveness?"

"Excuse me?"

"What would you call it?"

"Call what?"

"The fact you won't let anyone else talk to me?"

"Derek and…"

"Family, which, according to your mother is exempt from the Veela. That's it! We ended up baby-sitting—no chance of competition when we're the oldest people in the room by at least ten years. Then you yank me away from Vega, who was hardly a threat since we were talking _politics_ and now you blow up over a room full of strangers I'm never going to see again!"

"Your aunt asked us to baby-sit, I in no way asked for or orchestrated that. Tonight…"

"I suggest we talk about tonight at a later time when we both have cooled down some. You're avoiding the real point, as you have been for days now."

"What?"

"Vega."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Not strictly true, but safer than what he wanted to say. The last time they had really discussed politics she had run out of the restaurant to get away from him.

"Well for a non-issue it has you really upset. You tense every time I mention him."

"I don't see why you can't drop it."

"He's offered me an opportunity to go to University and to Iceland. He wrote that he could expedite my citizenship after a year, if I turn out to be a good fit for the situation. He even said he'd pull strings for you, if it came to that. I think those kinds of offers are worth discussing."

"Why would I want to go to Iceland to support a two-bit upstart…"

"If you listened to anything I said about him instead of getting on your high horse every time his name came up you'd know that he's supporting a lot of what your family does. Except he wants to based it in the rule of law, and not just in prejudice. He wants to organize and regulate segregation to replace the out-and-out oppression."

"Fancy words to trick the dumb masses. Revolution is never about preserving the status quo."

"You really don't hear a thing I say, do you?" The car slowed as it passed out of main London and began to travel through the suburbs. Scorpius just stared at Dianne, meeting her gaze steadily as he tried to put aside his anger and see what she was trying to say. Because, Merlin, he just didn't understand her! After a very, very long moment, Dianne leaned forward out of the privacy ward and tapped their driver on the shoulder.

"Pull over, please." She said. Immediately the chauffer changed lanes to approach the pathway.

"Dianne." She didn't answer or look back at him. "Where are we?" Uncertainty made Scorpius suddenly cautious.

"I don't know. And frankly, I don't care. It's well lit, and that's a diner, which means I can call a cab." They had reached the curb now, and she was gathering her hand-bag and shawl. Fear was rising, and Scorpius clung to his uncertainty to keep from completely loosing himself to that terror.

"We're getting out?"

"No. You are going home. I am cooling off." Dianne, alone, in an unknown part of the Muggle world, dressed like she was headed to a State dinner. She wouldn't be safe. They should have stayed at the dance. Maybe they could go back.

"Dianne…" He wasn't even sure what he wanted to say. It didn't matter, because she didn't wait for him to finish.

"No." She opened her door. "Don't bother."

"I'll go." He said hurriedly, and she paused. "You take the car. Go home. I'll Apparate."

She considered him a moment, then shut the door. "You can go to the house, I'll see you later. I just need some time." Scorpius nodded, unable to speak around the fear in his throat. "You should go." It was not a particularly subtle request, but at the same time he could not refuse it. And so, numbly, he opened the door and stepped out.

* * *

><p>Watching the car drive away was the worst moment of Scorpius' life. The fear he had felt for Dianne was gone—she was safe enough in the town car—but the horrible weight in his chest only shifted to a place deeper within him. For a long time—perhaps as long as ten minutes—he simply stood and stared at the traffic that had carried her away. Eventually, as he became aware that the night was cold, he allowed his eyes to search for a place to hide his apparition.<p>

It wasn't until he landed on the Reeds' back doorstep that he realized he didn't want to face his parents. They would be supportive, they would help him deal with… with whatever had happened, because to be honest he still wasn't sure he understood everything that they had argued over. But his parents couldn't help the situation itself. Before Scorpius could decide to enter the house, because it was ridiculous to simply stand on a doorstep, Derek came outside.

"Dianne just called Uncle Henry. Are you alright?"

"She's safe?" Despite the anger that was still there, in his chest next to the pain that had remained as she drove away, Scorpius found he retained the emotional capacity feel fear again as well.

"Yes. All she said is that she might be home late and that we should expect you at any time. Then Aunt Helen took the phone to their bedroom." Derek paused, but Scorpius had nothing to add to that. Dianne had called her parents as a precaution, not for an emergency. That was good. But the disappearance of the fear only opened more room for his anger, and the dark passion that he was beginning to recognize as raw pain. Finally, Derek seemed to realize that Scorpius was incapable of continuing the conversation.

"I take it things didn't go so well?"

"That may possibly the understatement of the year."

"You guys left early?"

"We were escorted out for making a scene."

Derek's eyebrows arched in surprise, but his tone remained vaguely interested. "Really?"

"Not quite, I guess. Security approached Dianne, asking if there was a problem between us, and she jumped at the chance to leave."

"That bad, huh?" Derek motioned into the backyard where there was a bench against the fence. It was meant for decoration, not for use, but a heating and cushioning charm made it useable. Scorpius used the preparations to gather his thoughts. The pause did him no good. It was hard to breathe, thinking about her. Remembering her curt answers at the end of the dinner put a tension in his shoulders that hadn't been there since their horrible first date. And yet, he could not think of anything except Dianne.

"Yes. To be honest, I am glad we left. At least the driver wasn't staring at her."

"Did the audience bother you?"

"Not as much as her partners did."

Derek seemed genuinely confused. "She danced with other guys?"

Scorpius felt his anger flare, and was surprised when his pain—was it betrayal he was feeling?—grew with it. "She said that was normal of this event. That when she was with you she often traded partners."

"Well, yes, but I've never taken her as a date, obviously. What did you do?"

"What could I do? I watched her."

"Why didn't you steal her back?"

"I had enough problems dancing in an empty floor, there was no way I could have intercepted her."

"Did you tell her you were uncomfortable?"

"She just got defensive. She said I was being oversensitive."

Derek seemed to consider that a moment, but he didn't immediately comment on either side. Finally, he asked, "What, exactly, made you upset?"

"She was dancing with everyone who asked, anyone who would look at her!"

"Were you upset with the first one she danced with?"

Scorpius remembered the carefully arranged black hair, the too broad smile and felt his hands clench. "Yes."

"Then it wasn't that she was dancing with everyone. Was it that she was dancing with someone else?"

"It was that he had his hands all over her and she just laughed!"

"I understand you are upset, but I doubt Dianne let anyone violate her. She has pretty strict boundaries, and she knows what is just a normal part of the dance and what is too far. I'm not saying you don't have a point," Derek hurried to add, "but I don't think it was quite what you say you saw."

"I saw her smiling and laughing and dancing with everyone but me."

"You were jealous."

Scorpius took a moment to realize he had been. It was a relatively new emotion for him, since it was only on rare occasions that someone had something he could not have for himself if he wished it. "Yes."

"And she was less than understanding."

"You could put it that way."

"I'm guessing that that wasn't the end of it. She could have called a cab or even called me from the theater, so there had to be a reason you got kicked out half way home."

"She picked a fight over Vega." Derek sighed, leaning back against the fence behind them.

"I was wondering when you two would get around to fighting about him."

Scorpius felt his anger grow at Derek's casualness, distracting him from the pain if not lessening it, and suddenly he found himself on his feet and pacing before Dianne's stoic cousin. "I tried to let it go, to not say anything, but she just won't listen! She didn't hear a word I said about anything! The only thing that gets through to her is 'Mudblood' and even then I don't think she has any idea of what it really, truly conveys. She talks about this revolt like it's a fix to all of the problems of the world but she doesn't understand that revolutionaries have always hidden their true motive until they have control. She wants to go to Iceland. ICELAND! What is there for her there? What is she looking for that I can't provide? Why run all the way over there? Is it just to avoid me? Am I that hideous to her that…"

"Back up." Derek remained mostly calm and only slightly interested, but his gentle interruption was enough that Scorpius stopped walking and looked at him from his place three feet away. "Did she say she wanted to run to Iceland to get away from you?"

"She won't shut up about it!"

Derek sighed, a long, heavy sigh. "Scorpius, I hate to say this, but Dianne is… well, she's in the wrong." Scorpius said nothing, refused to react to that statement even internally until Derek was finished. "Dianne often doesn't say what she actually means. It is a major flaw in her personality, and the problems it causes are her own fault. But it isn't always she that suffers from them. Right now, it's you who is suffering, and you don't need to." Derek sat up, meeting Scorpius' gaze very steadily.

"With Dianne, especially when she is mad, it is better to pay attention what she _doesn't_ say. She calculates every action and word, at times, but she usually forgets completely about everything she _doesn't_ say and do. It isn't pretty, and it isn't right that the burden falls on you to understand her, but it is the truth. Dianne has no intention of going to Iceland to avoid you."

"You weren't there. You don't know what she did or didn't say."

"Did she play with her ring while you were talking? Did she twist it or move it to another finger?"

"No."

"Not once?"

"Not that I remember."

"I doubt that she did. She hasn't when she's mentioned Vega in the past. When you two argued tonight about the dancing, did she tell you that she first learned to salsa to _avoid_ more sensual dances?" Scorpius felt something in his gut clench at that thought but shook his head, speechless.

"That is because she would never imagine herself dancing anything beyond her comfort zone. She didn't touch her ring because she has no intention of leaving you to go to Iceland. I bet she never even imagined that you'd go anywhere but here, did she? She didn't mention maybe seeing you tomorrow or the next day because she assumed you would be here when she got home tonight."

"If she doesn't say things she doesn't mean, why did she throw her potential emancipation in her family's face? Why did she make threats about Obliviation?"

Derek sighed. "Is there anything between total acceptance by a family and extreme measures to permanently cut them out of the wizard's or witch's life?"

"Yes. Most common are mild compulsion charms to keep the families from telling the secret and judging their child too harshly. It can't dictate what the recipient feels, but it can take the edge off particularly harmful emotions."

"She's never mentioned it. She talked about faking her death and Obliviation to make a point. But she avoided the middle of the road items. She would never imagine using any of them, and because that middle road is worth nothing to her arguments they were never even hinted at."

"So because she didn't mention rejecting me I should assume that she hasn't?"

"You can ask her straight when she comes back tonight, if you would feel better." Silence fell between them, but Derek didn't let it last. "You'll have to speak to her after I do, however."

Scorpius waited for an elaboration, before finally asking, "Something on your mind?"

"It's not just you she's manipulated. And it's not just you who is suffering for it. I was waiting for Uncle Henry to say something, but since he hasn't I will, particularly after tonight. Just because she didn't mean to hurt you doesn't excuse her from understanding how her actions affect those around her."

"It's not her fault. We haven't had a good date yet."

"She enjoyed the arcade."

"After she stormed out of our original dinner."

"Well, you both seemed to have fun at Summer's."

"Baby-sitting. She wanted to dance."

Derek was quiet a while, thinking. "Maybe I'll mention that to her too."

"_What_? Why?"

"Because, she isn't taking you for who you are. Despite having never had a boyfriend, Dianne is a bit of a romantic, at times. Unless I'm very much mistaken she is trying to force your relationship to be overly romantic instead of letting it simply be natural." Derek shifted on the bench before quietly adding, "I guess we haven't helped though, sending you to fancy Italian dinners and salsa dancing."

"Isn't dating supposed to be about romance?" The anger and betrayal were fading, and Scorpius found himself left with an emptiness in their place. He sat beside Derek, elbows on his knees.

"Did you enjoy the arcade?"

"Yes. I wouldn't have thought so, if you'd described it, but I really did."

"And did you mind watching movies?"

"No. I was happy to help, and it was neat to see Dianne's culture. Your culture."

"Then what's wrong with that? You two are getting to know each other, you spent time together enjoying yourselves… there is no need for elaborate dates if you two can just… hang out."

"But I don't know anything about how Muggles 'hang out'. How can I take her to places I don't understand?"

"Well, you've relived pieces of her childhood. Maybe you should introduce her to yours."

Scorpius felt a wash of bitterness at the thought. "Not the happiest of times."

Derek, to his credit, didn't pursue the topic or try to mediate his pain. Instead, he focused on the original conversation. "Perhaps there is an event you could take her to? What entertainment do wizards normally pursue?"

"Quidditch. But she sees that all the time at Hogwarts, and the stadium there is as impressive as any." His muse, however, was aroused and he found himself remembering… "Do you think her father would object to a trip out of the country?"

"Do you really love Dianne?"

The question startled Scorpius. "Of course. Why?"

Derek was staring at Scorpius, trying to read the depth of his sincerity. "She hurt you. You were furious—righty so—and you likely will be again in the near future. You never seem to agree ideologically, and, well, she won't be easy to live with. And yet you're trying to figure out how to woo her. I admit that I'm stunned. Dianne… she's got problems. Her mother's illness was hard on all of us, but between that and the family dynamics that followed it she ended up with flaws a mile wide. And yet you don't even stay angry at her for a half-hour."

"She didn't do it on purpose."

"Is that the Veela talking?" It was both curiosity and a challenge.

"I am the Veela. I am Scorpius. The distinction isn't as clear as humans think."

"You'd do anything for her, wouldn't you?"

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Then I think you'll find a way to get Uncle Henry's permission to take her out of the country." Scorpius nodded, and stood to go find the man in question. He didn't want to waste any time.

At the doorstep, Derek stopped him for a moment. "For all her flaws, she really is an amazing person."

"I know."

"I know you'll be good to her. But the more you know about her and her struggles, the more I think you'll be good _for_ her too. Don't roll over and just take it. It won't help in the long run."

"I know. We've had this speech, remember?" Derek smiled at him, and Scorpius was suddenly reminded of Edward Greengrass. He needed to owl his friend.

"Are you going to tell me what you're planning?"

"I'm going to win her heart. It may even be romantic." Derek laughed and shifted back on the bench to lay his head back again.

"Good luck."

-Chapter End. 12,000 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated. This is the last chapter comprised mostly of material published before June of 2014. After this, all chapters are new material.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	6. Dangerous Gifts

**CHAPTER SIX: Dangerous Gifts**

Dianne forced herself not to look back as she rode away from Scorpius. No doubt he would keep that blank, empty expression as long as she was in sight, and frankly, she didn't want to deal with the guilt that face gave her. She called her parents briefly, just to tell them to expect Scorpius and not to be alarmed. Her mother tried to talk to her, but she made her excuses and hung up. She needed to cool down, not give a blow-by-blow of the disastrous evening.

"Do you still wish to go home?" Scorpius had taken the privacy ward with him when he left, so she could hear the traffic again. She answered the driver without leaning forward.

"No. Just… drive. We paid you for your time until two this morning."

"Gas will be more."

"You've been an excellent host. I don't see your gas or tip being an issue. Particularly with how fast you pulled over."

"No problem, honey. Nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. You may not see it now, but you're better off without him." It took Dianne a moment to realize the driver thought she had broken up with Scorpius. Well, she supposed the fight had looked pretty bad from an outsider's point of view, even if the privacy ward had blocked their exact topics of discussion.

She sighed heavily, looking out the window at traffic and forced herself to face the truth: it had been a bad fight from the inside too. She rested her chin on her hand and was almost surprised to feel Scorpius' ring on her finger. She sat up to stare at it. She had been surprised when she'd opened it, surprised and terrified. She wasn't ready to commit to Scorpius for the rest of her life. She had stared at the ring, luckily shielding Scorpius from her expression. He had filled her silence with an explanation that the ring was to legitimize them and keep her from ridicule. He had done it for her.

Remembering her relief and gratitude caused her to tear up slightly. She remembered the looks she had gotten as the Malfoys' ball, and remembered how many of those had shifted into polite disinterest with just a discrete motion to draw their attention to the ring. Without it, she would have been defenseless.

Of course, it wasn't only a shield against contempt. Scorpius had told her it had been in the Malfoy family for 14 generations, and each one had added to the protective magic in it. It had been tried, at one point or another, against nearly every evil except the Unforgivable Curses. And it had withstood, because of lifetimes of love. Love Scorpius was now offering to her.

The part of her that was still furious protested that while _Malfoys_ may have generations of love, _Scorpius_ had an obsession that had turned him into a possessive jerk. Refusing to discuss Vega, taking a simple cultural dance completely out of context, the way he'd led her around—without any consideration for the dirty looks she got _every time_ he introduced her!—at the Malfoy ball…

_Did he? _ Her more reasonable self asserted. He had guided her from one uncomfortable situation to the next, but it wasn't his fault that she was being judged and found wanting by his peers. He had shielded her with movement whenever possible, despite his obvious distaste for some of the guests he had introduced her to.

Not that he had been similarly gracious tonight.

But perhaps he shouldn't have had to be, since he had been doing her a favor.

It didn't excuse him not listening about Iceland and Vega…

…but then she hadn't read his history either. The volume was beautiful, the history of the Malfoy family from their rise in Italy through their time in France until their journey over to England. It addressed the entire world events of the past 500 years, and examined the many roles the Malfoys had had in shaping that history. But she hadn't cracked the cover.

Well, that was not quite true, because she had studied the family trees extensively, amazed at the diversity of the family and tracking her ring through the generations. There were politicians, yes, but there were also soldiers, businessmen, explorers, ambassadors, and at least twenty other job titles she had never heard of before. They had lived on every continent, fought in every war…

And she didn't want to be preached at!

But it was unlikely that all 23 generations had been brainwashed together. It was nearly impossible that the entire family was deluded. There would be facts, facts she could check and verify. Facts that would tell her how right or wrong the family was. She sighed again, wanting to think about anything but her political differences with Scorpius.

Because, truthfully, Dianne wanted to like Scorpius. He had turned out to be much more tolerable than she had anticipated. He was smart, and very good tempered. He had adapted to the Muggle world faster than she had thought possible, and he been nothing but respectful to her father, indeed her whole family. She had enjoyed their time together at the arcade, decorating for Christmas, and helping Josh. In short, he was a great friend. It was only when they were a couple that things got so… difficult… between them. She didn't want to hurt him, and not just because of his potential demise. He was a decent sort. Good people, Aunt Summer had called him.

And Dianne had left him sitting at the table, all night, expecting he'd be happy because she was. Fact was he was probably jealous. How stupid could she have been? She had even wondered beforehand if he knew how to dance. Catherine had blown the concern off, saying Dianne should enjoy herself and a good friend would be happy for her.

_Scorpius has never pretended to be a friend_. Absently, realizing that Scorpius really had skipped friend and headed directly into "boyfriend", Dianne wondered if she'd been lucky they made it out of the dance without Scorpius killing someone in a jealous rage.

"Murder, the crime of ultimate passion." She muttered to herself, wondering how she had missed it. Then, suddenly, she heard what she had said and felt something fall together in her mind.

"I'm ready to go home now." She told the driver.

"Good, because we're here." Dianne's surprise must have shown on her face. "We've been circling this block for ten minutes. No place better for a pretty girl like you to be than home."

"Thanks."

Dianne was surprised to be greeted on the front step by Derek.

"Come around back." His tone surprised her sufficiently that she didn't protest as he led her around to the bench in the back. She was further startled to find the bench made more comfortable by magic, but said nothing. Obviously, Derek had something on his mind.

"I have heard from Scorpius what happened, but I'd like to get your perspective."

"Why does this feel like the Spanish Inquisition?"

"I suggest you give me your side of things, Dianne. I have a great deal to say. However, I want to hear from you first."

"Give me enough rope to hang myself? It's obvious that you have some expectation of what I have to tell you. You'll hear what you're listening for." To her surprise, instead of becoming more frustrated, Derek merely sighed and shook his head, never really breaking eye contact as she had expected.

"I'm not a debate opponent. Making me mad will not cause me to make a mistake you can use to your advantage—it will seriously and perhaps permanently affect our relationship. Please, Dianne, I want to hear what happened from you. Something went so wrong that you felt you had to get away from Scorpius immediately. Should I be defending you? Did he—" Dianne didn't want to know where that question was going.

"No. Heavens no. It… we just fought. Scorpius didn't like me dancing with other guys, so we left. Then, in the car, we got talking about Iceland and Philip Vega and things sort of blew up. I just needed some time to cool down and think."

"And, what did you think about? Have any epiphanies?" Dianne twisted to look at Derek better. While he had seemed genuinely concerned a moment before, she now found her earlier impression of repressed temper to be surfacing again. Was Derek upset at her for some reason?

"I just thought about Scorpius and myself, as a couple. I realized I didn't handle the dance the in the best way, and I was going to apologize." Okay, so she hadn't resolved to apologize quite yet, but it was the next natural step.

"You need to apologize for much more than just tonight."

"Excuse me?"

"You should start with all the manipulation you've put the poor boy through."

"Manipulation?"

"Is 'Mudblood' a normal part of your vocabulary?"

"I've only used it to make a point."

"You use it to rail-road your arguments through, leaving him too stunned, or too offended, to answer you. The same way you manipulated our family with mentions of their Obliviation and your faked death."

"Those are real laws!"

"But they are never something you would consider. You told us for shock value. The same way you oh-so-casually mentioned potions the first night we were here, to build the shock value against my father."

"I let you Obliviate him, didn't I?"

"You still haven't thanked me for that—"

"Thanked you?"

"—Nor have you apologized to me, but that's not what I want to talk about. This is about Scorpius. He has obeyed every boundary you set. He has done everything you asked of him. He has been a good guest and a good friend too. What you did tonight was atrocious."

"It's nothing that I wouldn't have done if I was with you! It's not like I was giving lap dances. I've said I will apologize for not being more sensitive, and I will. What more do you want from me?"

"You could try listening to him about his concerns with Philip Vega."

"He hasn't even bothered to read the papers Vega gave us." _And you're any better?_ the reasonable side of her asked. Dianne internally acknowledged the hypocrisy, but focused on Derek.

"One of you is going to have to listen first. Considering your manipulations have made him doubt himself and the fact that he is terrified you are going to leave him to go to Iceland, I think you need to be the one to make that first move, especially considering the potential ramifications that doubt could have on his _life_."

"I'm not sold on going to Iceland. The point is that Vega is bending over backwards for me and has accepted that Scorpius and I are a packaged deal. I don't know how many time I can say 'You're welcome to come' before he gets it."

"I think Scorpius would have difficulty filling the Malfoy seat from Iceland." Derek held up a hand to fore-stall her answer. "It is something you need to discuss with him, not with me."

Dianne forced herself to listen to what Derek was saying. Despite what her pride was telling her, she had to acknowledge that he had a point about the manipulation, even if he was taking the situation with Vega too seriously.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Since you called Uncle Henry. I figured you'd send Scorpius back here, and while I'm glad I talked to him, this is the more important conversation."

"Well, you can consider your point made."

"Can I?" It was a challenge, debater to debater and cousin to cousin.

Dianne looked away almost immediately, and forced herself to breathe deeply for a moment. Derek was furious. That was obvious from his false calm, which meant he was actually livid. Derek had inherited his father's temper, but had enough logic and enough experience receiving that temper that he chose to use the mask to keep himself from drastic action.

And why shouldn't he be furious? Really? Dianne's more reasonable side—the voice that screamed '_hypocrite_'—was gaining ground against her pride.

"I will apologize to my parents and assure them that I have never, even once, considered any of the tactics which I have mentioned." Because, truly, she was sorry for hurting them and she didn't want it to color their future relationship.

"I will talk to Scorpius as well, soon. There is something I have to do first, but I will listen, I promise." Derek wasn't fooled by her dodge.

"You haven't read the family history he gave you." Dianne knew it was only an educated guess, but since that was what she had been referring to she didn't deny it.

"I will."

"And… well, I'm sorry." Because out of every point he'd made, this had been his most valid. "I'm sorry that I dumped all this on you first. That I called you but not my parents, that I threw 'Mudblood' in your face in front of the Malfoys, that I wasted your Christmas gift squabbling…" _That I manipulated you too_, wasn't said. An apology shouldn't have to be requested.

"I wish I could thank you for Richard." She could see that he was surprised, but now was the time for honesty. She couldn't say what she didn't mean. But she could explain. "I think you made the _right_ decision. But I don't know if I can _accept_ that decision."

"Why is Obliviation so horrible to you?"

"A couple of years ago, there was… an accident. A potion supplier sold several batches of defective potion by mistake. A girl died. A Muggleborn girl. It was not a simple, or painless death. The hospital traced back the cause, but because it was an honest mistake there was no criminal action taken. The girl's parents tried to sue the brewer, but the courts wouldn't hear the case. A few other people got sick, but because the initial death was such big news, most of the potion was found and no one else died or was even seriously incapacitated.

"Then the girl's family found out that the symptoms that the potion had gone wrong were obvious and that any wizarding child should have known what to do. Her parents tried to sue Hogwarts for not educating her on what was considered common knowledge, _necessary_ knowledge to survive. The case never even got written, because no lawyers would take it and there is no self-representation for Muggles in magical courts. So the family went to the paper and tried to gain sympathy. The main stream media did nothing, and they didn't know enough to go to the fringe papers.

"The family tried to file suit in a Muggle court. They went to get the paperwork. The parents knew about Obliviation, knew that their case would never be heard, but they were trying to make a point. The minister signed an immediate order. They didn't receive a trial, or even a hearing. They were never even taken into custody. The Obliviators waited at their house, and when they came home everything was erased. Not just what had happened… they erased every memory that couple had of their only daughter."

There was silence for a moment, while Dianne tried to remember not to use weighted terms like 'erased' and 'only daughter'. That was the debater talking. What mattered right now was her reasoning, not that she convince Derek but that he understand.

"It was unnecessary." Dianne felt her eyes water, and it wasn't a gimmick for a round. What had happened, what had been done, was just so pointlessly cruel. "All they wanted was a better industry standard. All they wanted was to avoid it in the future. They weren't asking for money or for anything for themselves. They were suing for the creation of a law. For warning labels, or for education for the Muggleborn. They were suing for the other daughters that could have died. Justice, not revenge. And they were ignored, and ignored, and then—wham. No discussion. No defense. Just… nothing. No one will mourn Karen Williams. Not even her parents." Her tears were dripping onto her hands, but she didn't look up at Derek. This was not about manipulation.

"And if it was a Greengrass, or a Nott, or heck, even _Scorpius_, they wouldn't have died. And if they had died, the whole wizarding world would have been out for blood. Their parents would have passed a law, that _same day_, to prevent it from happening again. No months and months of battle. But because Karen was Muggleborn, she was ignored. Completely. And then she was erased. That could have been me. The fact that I am now protected by Scorpius doesn't change the facts… a month ago that could have been me." Her tears continued on, silent and easy. Not sobs, just grief for the injustice done.

"What Vega wants isn't perfect." She felt Derek shift beside her, but she had to say it. Had to lay it out there to someone who seemed to understand _justice_ a lot better than she did. Had to speak her fears to someone who wouldn't scream, or blindly agree, or ignore it. "He still believes that powerful blood means powerful magic and that means more rights. He believes in human—pureblood—supremacy and segregation." She took a shuddering breath, because admitting that was hard. Even the most progressive advocates weren't really trying for equality.

"But he does believe in the rule of law. He believes in procedure and justice. A higher standard of proof, a day in court. It's not much. It's not right. But it is a heck of a lot better than what we are facing elsewhere. It's a start. England was built on less—I told you the flaws of the Magna Carta. But time, juries, society, they can change laws. They can bring justice, if there is a basis for rule of law, which he _does_ advocate. Maybe it won't be while I'm alive to see it. But if we can just establish rule of law, the rest will follow."

"You have a lot of faith in humanity."

"I guess." She twisted her hands, spreading the tears out so they would evaporate and not freeze onto her skin. "I'm scared Derek." He shifted again, but she still didn't look up. She couldn't. "I don't want to be looked down on for the rest of my life. I don't want to have to straddle two cultures like this, never really belonging to either one."

"What were you planning on? I thought you wanted to be a lawyer."

"To work in the wizarding world, yes. Because face it—I don't have the background or education to do what I would like to here in the Muggle world. For a high-order job, I have to go magical. But I never intended to live there. I couldn't wait to graduate Hogwarts and come home and now… Now I'm to be Madam Malfoy."

She felt the irony of that almost choke her. "I have one friend at Hogwarts. And I'm not too sure about that. Catherine hasn't exactly been understanding recently. In fact, she's been decidedly unhelpful."

"I guarantee you, you have a far better friend than Catherine."

She said nothing, still refusing to look up, not because of her tears but because she couldn't look away from the ring. Hadn't she been thinking earlier that Scorpius had skipped right past 'friend' and straight into 'boyfriend'? Either she or Derek had misjudged the relationship.

"I know you and Scorpius seem to be fighting a lot, but… I don't know, from where I'm sitting, it just seems like couple stuff." She didn't answer, and although he paused it wasn't long enough that he seemed to expect a response. "You're great together when it's just you hanging out. I know your first date and Aunt Summer's ball may not have been perfect, but in the end, you did enjoy yourself, right?" She nodded, and as Derek warmed up to the idea he spoke a little faster.

"What your parents have always advocated… honesty, respect, communication, compromise… it's not so different from friendship, really. A strong, lasting, life-time friendship. Do you need him to be Romeo and sweep you off your feet? Or can you live with a strong, steady, best friend?" It was so very similar to what she had already considered, what she had already resolved.

"What happened to never settling?"

"I think you'd be settling for Romeo." The words were startling, but they also felt… right, somehow. "All your life, you've never really been understood. I try, really I do, but sometimes… I think if you had a friend that could really, really see you, even if they didn't always agree, I think that would be worth more to you than romance."

"Mr. Darcy instead of Prince Charming?" Dianne had meant to be teasing, but she could see the appeal.

"You should think about it." Derek stood, but Dianne couldn't bring herself to move. She was just so exhausted…

"Derek?"

"Yeah?"

"Did my Dad put you up to this? The talk I mean. You seemed to have an agenda: Scorpius and open-mindedness, and manipulation and Obliviation… was this his idea?"

"No. I felt it needed to be said."

"Oh. Does he know?"

"Not if you don't want him to."

"The opposite, actually. I'd rather not listen to it twice."

"Did you listen the first time?" And now, Dianne looked up and up into her cousin's face.

"Yes. You make very good points."

"I made good points about Richard's Obliviation."

"I heard those too. It just took a while longer."

"I'm serious, Dianne. You don't have forever."

"I know. I'm not going to throw this away over my pride." And now, sitting in the cold, staring up at her cousin, too exhausted to lie to herself, she saw it had been pride, pure and simple, and that it had been petty. She had been petty.

She looked back at the ring on her hand, so simple, and yet so perfect. Not flashy, but it wasn't plain either. She was surprised to feel someone sit down next to her, and wondered what Derek had thought of to say on the way to the door that he couldn't say while standing. When Scorpius laid an arm across her shoulders, she nearly jumped off the bench in surprise.

A glance to the side was really all she needed before she was forcing herself to relax, which was fortunate, since he had grimaced in pain and was starting to pull away.

"No. You're fine. I just thought you were Derek. I didn't hear you come out." She moved a little closer to him, because the warming charm really wasn't sufficient against the cold.

Scorpius let her settle before he answered, and she was embarrassed to realize that he could probably hear her still-thundering heart. "Will it offend you to know that I came out earlier?" Dianne didn't answer, forced herself to listen, and was rewarded when after a moment Scorpius continued, "I knew Derek wanted to talk to you. It's not that I didn't trust that he wanted what was best but..."

"You came out to protect me."

"Yes."

"Even though Derek was standing up for _you_, you came out to make sure it didn't hurt me."

"Yes." And suddenly, Dianne felt her tears return. This time, they were not silent, soft tears but breath-robbing, throat-closing, heaving-the-entire-body sobs. She turned toward Scorpius, who wrapped his arms around her, showing no sign of surprise or uncertainty.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Dianne didn't realize she'd whispered it aloud until she felt Scorpius' hand start to gently rub her back as he held her and quietly answered her:

"Well, for one, you called me Zee."

And at that, Dianne had to laugh. It was weak, and it was followed by more tears and more sobs, but it was real.

"How… how m-m-much did you hear?"

"Enough, I think. I have never heard the Williams' story from that perspective before." Dianne forced herself to breathe, to control herself long enough to whisper:

"I don't want to fight again tonight."

"Neither do I. I am sorry to bring it up." She shook her head against his chest, and he seemed to understand that she couldn't handle anything more. No more confessions. No more debating or fighting. It seemed, though, that her mouth did not agree with her heart. As her tears began to slow, she found herself taking advantage of her less impaired speech.

"I'm so sorry that I was so insensitive. There's no excuse… no excuse."

"That is your tradition."

"Don't… don't excuse it."

"You were right though… the Veela should have been happy for you." Dianne could tell that Scorpius was vaguely bothered by the incongruity, and it was enough that she straightened slightly to look at his face. He didn't move his arms though, and she didn't slide away from him. She had completely forgotten her tears.

"You don't know? I thought I was being obtuse."

Scorpius' gaze turned from pure concern into slightly wary curiosity. "I don't think I follow."

"It was the first thing your father said to me: the Veela is a creature of passion."

"Yes. For our mates. The mate is the focus of that passion, the reason for its existence and by extension the existence of the Veela."

"Mainly. But I don't think that's complete. I mean it!" she added quickly. "Think about when we've fought. You've been righteously angry, during our first dinner, when you were talking about your morals which are a very passionate subject. Then, tonight, you were jealous, which is totally and one-hundred-percent a passion. Not just jealous because you were being possessive. That was an unfair accusation on my part, and I'm sorry for that too. I think the Mate is the focus of the passion, yes, but I think that some passions can overcome the passion of love that the Veela feels. Particularly when you're so strong."

The slight crease in his forehead asked the question, which she answered by laying her hand on his cheek, very lightly. Immediately, Scorpius shut his eyes and sighed deeply, his arms holding her a touch more strongly than they had been. His breathing deepened, and Dianne felt her own forehead crease slightly in concern. "You should have told me you weren't feeling well."

"I didn't know. But this, this feels amazing." She laughed quietly at the serene expression on his face.

"I guess the fight was rough on you, huh?" Her earlier guilt returned, and she swallowed the sudden tightness in her throat. Of course it had been rough on him.

"I guess so."

"I think we need to talk about it." Scorpius opened his eyes to look at her. "Maybe not tonight," because even sitting so close to Scorpius she was still cold, and she didn't particularly want to add to her emotional exhaustion, "but soon. Before school."

"I think that sounds like a good idea." One arm loosened around her as he raised a hand to her cheek, mirroring her own gesture. Then, alarmed, he suddenly stood up and pulled her up with him, still holding her close. "Merlin, Dianne, you're freezing!" He led her inside, criticizing her for not saying anything, for not caring for herself. Dianne felt herself relax, and between the warmth of the house and the fatigue that was quickly becoming physical as well as mental, she was nearly asleep when Scorpius left her at her bedroom door.

* * *

><p>The next day would have been awkward, if it were not so busy. Derek had assured the adults that what had happened was a simple fight and that the couple needed to work it out themselves, but that did not stop their concern and curiosity. Her parents' curiosity was only heightened when Dianne apologized for her behavior throughout the vacation, particularly how she had broken the news and handled the Obliviation. She also pulled Josh's head out of his studying long enough to apologize for the position she had put him in and the undue stress he had had to deal with while preparing for Berkley.<p>

Despite the many questions, however, there was little time to talk. Berkley was now less than 48 hours away, and what time wasn't spent packing and preparing to fly to California was spent helping Josh track down the evidence and speeches that had somehow scattered themselves around the house. Dianne stole every possible minute to disappear to her room and read the history which Scorpius had given her, and the young man in question had the good grace to pretend not to notice.

Derek watched all this with a growing sense of pride. No, Dianne wasn't perfect. But she was a fast learner, and above everything else, she had a big heart. And while Scorpius wasn't, perhaps, the most perfect Prince Charming, he was patient and forgiving. It was not a bad match.

The family was set to fly out to New York that evening, where they would lay over for the night before flying to California. Scorpius, however, had managed to somehow convince Uncle Henry to allow him to take Dianne on the mysterious international date, and so the couple waved the rest of the family off from the doorstep, promising to meet them in Berkley the following afternoon.

* * *

><p>"Does my father even know where we are going?"<p>

"He knows it's not in England or America."

"How did you convince him to let us go?"

"I gave him my magical oath that I would never let any harm come to you, either from myself or from anyone or anything else."

"I'm surprised that convinced him."

"I think he found the aura of the oath very impressive, perhaps almost as much as my formal wording." Dianne laughed.

"Alright, so how are we getting to… wherever we're going?"

"Portkey—it's too far to Apparate."

"That didn't go so well last time."

"I won't let you fall, I promise. First though, I want to give you this." 'This' was a slim box wrapped in brown paper, which opened to reveal folds and folds of purple cloth. Scorpius helped her lift it out of the box so that she could see it was some sort of dress.

"You should get the full experience."

"Local clothing?" Dianne had never seen anything like it—some sort of a cross between a toga and an Indian wedding dress.

"You will be gorgeous in it."

"Where are we going?"

"To one of my most important childhood memories. It's a kind of sanctuary for me. I get to just be myself, and I think it will help you see why I see things the way I do. It changed my whole life."

"Were you in a toga-dress too?"

He smirked. "No. But I'll be in local garb too, by the time you come out." True to his word, when Dianne emerged from her room after arranging and re-arranging the dress, Scorpius was waiting for her in his own surreal outfit of black and purple. He helped her situate the dress more evenly over her shoulders and adjusted its hang, before helping her into a pair of flat but elaborate sandals. Dianne blushed when his fingers touched her shoulder blades and ankles, but her face had cooled by the time he was finished studying her fashion so that there was no sign of her reaction. For a long moment they just stared at each other, alone in the house.

"You look absolutely stunning." She blushed again, and this time Scorpius saw it and laughed. "Seriously. Better… better than I've ever seen you."

"Thanks. You're looking exotic yourself. Are we ready now?"

"Yes. Here, stand close," he put one arm around her waist in a position that was becoming familiar and natural, and held out a short cylinder for her to grasp. "Hold it level with me. Alright, now you're going to bend your knees to absorb impact. When we arrive, straighten up as though you were sitting down and are just now standing. I'm going to keep a hold of you too, so you can't fall. Try not to brace yourself against the spinning, just focus on your contact with me and with the bar. Don't worry about anything. Trust me."

"I do." He smiled.

"Ready?"

"Yes," she turned her face toward his chest, and Scorpius gave her another moment before he said the activation phrase.

* * *

><p>As promised, Dianne landed smoothly, following Scorpius' shift in balance as he stood straighter and completely avoiding the left-her-stomach-behind sensation that had marked her first Portkey journey.<p>

They had landed in an unfurnished room, dark due to a lack of windows, with a dirt floor. There was indistinct noise from outside, but inside it was cool and quiet.

"Now can I ask where we are?" He laughed, tucking the Portkey into a pocket at his waist.

"Welcome to South America. Muggles don't believe this area to be settled. It's a purely magical community—with very little contact even with other wizards. Almost completely native."

"Except for us?"

"Not exactly. This area is home to many rare ingredients and protective rituals and amulets. They are supported primarily by their trade with general wizardry, they have just chosen not to integrate into international life—no established educational institution, no formal government, just families struggling and surviving. Generation to generation."

"This is your most important childhood memory?"

"Come see." He led her out the door, smiling in a way that made Dianne suspect she was being teased.

"Dang Zee." He chuckled softly and Dianne felt the movement through his arm. They had stepped out into a street that belonged in a child's fantasy book. It was packed with stalls selling everything—not just plants and animals parts and protective jewelry, but pottery and cloth and weapons and wands. There were stalls of books and tapestries and all sorts of tools. The street was lined on both sides with tiny stalls, and filled in the middle with enough shoppers to be busy, but not crowded.

Scorpius put his arm around her waist and began to lead her through the street. They bought grapes from a merchant squashed between a man selling enchanted silverware and two women who hawked rings guaranteeing pregnancy. A few stalls down Scorpius pointed out model castles demonstrating wards. He then tried to buy her a heavy gold and amethyst armband, which she avoided by exclaiming over an ever-blooming headband of lilies, which he bought instead.

"Are those live monkeys?" They were, and Dianne and Scorpius stopped to watch as the wizards who were selling them made the monkeys perform tricks and gimmicks for the audience of potential buyers. "Are exotic pets common in the wizarding world?" In addition to the monkeys, the troupe had bats, several large snakes, a litter of wolf cubs and a pair of jungle cats.

"Yes. In that respect we are no better than Muggles."

"I didn't have you pegged as an animal-rights activist."

Scorpius shrugged, watching as the wizarding handlers encouraged one monkey to mimic another for fruit slices. "I had an ocelot when I was young. Magic made it docile and intelligent, but no one thought to protect it from the English climate. It escaped from the Manor one night and froze to death."

"I'm sorry." He seemed oddly somber, even considering the subject. The crowd around them laughed and clapped at some trick, but Dianne chose to study Scorpius as he stared ahead at the show.

"I had named it Maslin." It took Dianne a moment to recognize the name, since she had only read it and had been pronouncing it in her head with the accent on the second syllable, rather than the first.

"That's one of the minor branches of the Malfoy family, right? Spell crafters?"

Finally, Scorpius turned away from the vendors and they began to weave their way down the street again. "Yes, experimenters in general actually. That's what I wanted to be at the time—a famous Potions Master."

"So what changed?"

"Nothing. I still would prefer nothing more than to invent and perfect potions. But sometimes, duty is more important."

"Duty to the Malfoy family?"

"Yes. Partially. It would be easier to show you, and I really can't talk about it without the proper precautions against eavesdroppers, which is why we're here."

"Okay." Scorpius didn't elaborate, and Dianne didn't push him to. She had thought—hoped—that today was to be a wizarding repeat of their night at the arcade, exploring some sort of adventure Scorpius had had as a child. Still, she was mindful of the fact that he was opening his past to her, and was resolved to be understanding and supportive.

Their conversation had carried them to the end of the market. The street continued on, lined with houses and workshops as it twisted away into the surrounding jungle she was just now noticing, but the booths stopped abruptly as though forbidden from crossing an unseen line in the sandy road.

He led her to the second house on the right side of the road and held the door open for her. It wasn't until she entered that she realized it had been muggy outside in the market. It hadn't been noticeable at first, but the climate control—managed by charms perhaps?—in the home was better than in the open street. An elderly woman came into the front portion of the house, which appeared to be a common room area, with a low table and simple rug furnishings.

She and Scorpius had a quick, short conversation in a language that sounded like Spanish but that was unintelligible to Dianne. The woman left and came back with a tall rolled-up carpet which Scorpius carried back outside. He led Dianne to the back of the house where he laid out the carpet.

"Come on." Dianne stood beside the carpet staring at him.

"Is this a flying magical carpet?"

"Yes." Carefully, she stepped on and sat down beside Scorpius, which was fortunate because when the carpet rose she dipped slightly and grabbed him suddenly for balance.

"It's alright. You can't fall."

"Are we going on a magic carpet ride?" If Scorpius had seen _Aladdin_—or if he had been any less serious—she would have suspected a set-up. As it was, she was merely incredibly curious.

"It's the easiest way. Untraceable, comfortable, and secure." Despite his reassurances of safety, he kept his arm around her shoulders as they sat close together on the ride through the rain forest. It was beautiful, and they were flying just slowly enough to appreciate it. Green stretched in every direction, broken with browns and splashes of color that passed just a bit too fast to be recognized. The wind seemed to be mostly re-directed by the carpet, so that only a breeze moved past them, enough to toss her hair without tangling it or throwing it into her face.

It seemed an eternity before Dianne found the words she wanted.

"It's so beautiful." And it was—breathtakingly so. Huge flowers, colorful movement as animals scurried away and birds suddenly took flight. There were sounds, too, but they seemed to all merge together with the wind. For a moment she imagined they were alone in the world.

"I'm glad you think so. Now that we're inside the wards, I can tell you more. I'm sorry to be so vague, before, but…"

"It's okay. I've figured out this is pretty important. You said it changed your life."

"It's the reason I'm who I am today. See, Father—Draco—he's always been intent on restoring England. He wants to reverse the damage the war did to the economy and to our international reputation. Two dark lords in a century, one of which resurrected himself… people notice. And, of course, he wants to rebuild the Malfoy name too. That's why he keeps running for minister." Scorpius paused, but Dianne gave him the moment he needed, just listening to his voice as she stared at the jungle around them.

"Lucius, my grandfather, was known for bribery and back-door dealing. Draco isn't apologizing for our political power, but he is trying to legitimize it in the eyes of the populous, so that I when I take over the seat, I can make changes and propose laws without our reputation hindering us. I am to be the perfect politician neither of them were or are."

There was enough bitterness in Scorpius' tone that Dianne felt it appropriate to input: "But you wanted to be an experimenter."

"Didn't matter. The only achievements Father wanted for me were allies and precedence. This place is important because it is the only reason I agreed."

They were traveling only at a walking pace now, although much faster than they could have gone on foot since they were five feet above the floor of the jungle and the tangle of roots and plants that lived there. There was a drop-off a little ways ahead and when Dianne looked back to see Scorpius' face, he was staring at it, obviously waiting until they were past it to continue.

The carpet was still approaching this border, was just passing it, the trees were thicker at the edge, and then they were through the trees and the vines and they were above—far above—the most impossible thing Dianne had ever seen.

Green was no longer around them, but below them, spread out like it was on a movie screen. She let her eyes trail from the far horizon—where she had been looking through the trees—downwards. There was a blue, blue glistening—river?—swath through the emerald and lime forest floor. The trees were more interspersed, tall rich olive amongst the spotted and shifting, living jade carpet.

But more breathtaking than the landscape were the phoenixes. The valley was alive with them—flying and roosting, nested and playing in the water. They flashed and glowed—every color of the rainbow—like a rainfall of breathing jewels.

Dianne didn't know where to look—found she couldn't sit still—and moved to the very edge of the carpet to stare out at it all. The carpet moved through the valley slowly, high above the flocks below them. Dianne tried to estimate the number of birds but there was so much movement that it was nearly impossible to see them clearly. If it were not for the huge wingspan and occasional flame-bursts of travel, she would have been hard-pressed to identify the magnificent beasts.

"It's majestic, isn't it?" Dianne turned around to look at Scorpius, who was still sitting back on the carpet, looking at the far edge of the valley. He caught her eye not a moment later, as though it had been her who had said it instead of him.

"Yes," she admitted, "that's the word I was looking for."

"There are somewhere between three and five hundred phoenixes that call this valley home."

"I didn't know there were that many left in the world."

"Most don't."

Dianne processed that statement carefully, trying to see what this had to do with their previous conversation. It was a horrible thought, considering their splendor, but she had to ask "Is this a preserve?"

Scorpius laughed a very humorless laugh, looking away. "Not precisely. This is a sanctuary, yes, but it was designated and claimed by the phoenixes themselves, not set aside by man. It is older than Western civilization."

"If it is so hidden, why do you know about it? It wasn't in the family history you gave me."

"This is not the sort of history that is ever recorded where it may be discovered. It is held only where it can be shared. And, as I mentioned earlier, I can only share this particular history within these wards."

"You're going to share it with me?"

"The relevant bits. There are centuries that do not affect either of us."

"Thank you. I'm honored."

"You believe so now. I just want you to know… I'm not telling you this to make a point. It's just… you have a right to know. And since hearing you talk about Karen Williams, I think I understand you a great deal better than before. I want to give you the same gift."

"I want to receive it." She said it softly, gently. Because she understood the strength of that warning, understood that Scorpius' careful tone was an apology for what he was about to reveal. He believed it would change her world, would uncover truths that did not fit with her beliefs. It would be painful to adjust her perspective, she knew that from her struggles to reconcile herself to the situation with Richard, but she would rather hear and be hurt than be blind.

"Phoenix, as a race, are secretive and with good reason. They are revered by humanity, and many specific cultures, but human fascination—human curiosity—is more often fatal than helpful. They can't be completely isolated, because they are affected by what happens beyond these mountains. To combat isolation there are phoenix that live elsewhere, like Dumbledore's Fawkes, but they are limited in their ability to provide any real interference should the need arise." Scorpius paused, gathering his thoughts, and looked across the valley, even as Dianne continued to study him, listening intently, waiting for the inevitable bombshell.

"Sometimes they need something more than they can provide for themselves. They need... an agent, I guess you could say, or an ambassador. That's how it was first described to me. They choose a person—or a family—and when they have a need they communicate it to that connection. It is then their job—my job—to see that the concern is dealt with without anyone knowing that it was prompted by the phoenix. Part of protecting them is that no one knows they are ever in danger.

"I am not sure who was their contact before it fell to me, but when I was ten the phoenix started approaching me in my dreams under the disguise of Octavius Maslin, who had also been one of their ambassadors in the 1700s. He—they—explained that the main reason for the Maslin split from the Malfoy name was that they were approached by the phoenix. They split from the Malfoy line and moved out of politics to allow them to re-discover and publish a set of rituals. I don't know all the details, but the phoenix needed a family to ensure the magic came back into common knowledge, so the Maslins complied.

"My sacrifice is the opposite. I have been instructed to abandon experimentation, take over the Malfoy seat as soon as possible and to accrue whatever political power I can. They haven't told me why, but I know that it is important. My father doesn't know the reason for my change of heart, and never will."

"You made a decision at age ten and haven't wavered?"

"It's a little more than that. When I agreed to be an ambassador, I took a magical oath to represent the Phoenix's interests. I can't waver, or else I lose my magic. The only possible exception is if Magic herself interferes with the binding, and that hasn't happened since the house-elves became, well, house-elves."

"So, you just... changed your life-plan? Because they asked?" It was amazement, astonishment, that caused Dianne to pursue the point. Scorpius didn't seem to mind however. He focused on her, looking away from the beauty around them.

"There are some things more important than our dreams." Dianne was suddenly reminded that she was doing the same thing. She, too, was abandoning her plans for her life. True, her consequences were more precisely spelled out, but it was more or less the same idea. Desperately, she searched for something to move the conversation away from the still overwhelming thought of someday being Madam Malfoy.

"So... you're a phoenix ambassador. I admit, I didn't see that coming. No one knows?"

"Just you."

"Am I allowed to know?"

"Yes. You are my mate."

"So I can know, but your father can't?" Curiosity, confusion, but not condemnation. It was an honor, intellectually she knew that, but it also felt like an oppressive weight.

Scorpius was silent for a moment, gazing steadily at her while she returned the stare. "Yes." There was another moment of silence between them, and though there was still much to be said, the moment was not uncomfortable. "He will likely suspect, someday, once I have to start maneuvering according to directives that he cannot see. But he won't have any more information than anyone else to figure out whose interests I represent. And chances are that he won't ask."

"No more than anyone else?"

"It is a taboo to talk about it directly, but most of the old families are or have been representatives at some point. Some connections are even famous- before the war with Grindewald, for example, the Potters were known to be spokesmen for the Centaurs. Most races, like the Phoenix, prefer to keep their people hidden and quiet. But not all."

"So... these other races... they have representation through these families?"

"Yes. It is the responsibility of the representatives, or ambassadors, to always be aware of the interests they represent. While the phoenixes have a specific agenda, I also have to be aware of anything that could affect them directly or indirectly." Suddenly Dianne felt like a fool as realization dawned.

"That's why it's the Muggleborns, and not the species themselves, that are urging a more diverse Wizengamot."

"To be frank, common speculation is that at least two species have advised their representatives to be directly against any such measure. These old ways may be informal, but they are well tested and have proven safe."

"And yet the centaurs still live on very limited land." It seemed like a fair example to site, since he'd mentioned them directly.

"True. But their other interests, including their autonomy, have been protected. I'm not saying that non-human interests are treated equal, because in the end it is still our government of course, but they are not as ignored as so many believe."

"We have no way of knowing otherwise." Dianne wasn't feeling defensive, particularly, but she did feel the need to address his subtle accusation.

"We can hardly publicize the hidden workings of our power systems when secrecy is the very backbone of them." So they were at an impasse, but at least it had all been said. And now she was a part of that secrecy also. She was honored and burdened with the confidences of an entire species and the pureblood culture.

"Thank you for telling me."

"Thank you for listening."

"It was, as you said, a gift." It was a curse, too, in a way, but she had known that it would be.

"I'm glad." For almost a minute they sat together, side by side, and watched the valley and its stunning occupants. Finally, Scorpius spoke. "We need to talk about Vega."

"I know." But knowing it was necessary to begin didn't give her a starting place.

"I can't leave England and fulfill my vow to the phoenix." Dianne had to force herself not to interrupt him, since he had obviously prepared some sort of speech. "I know it seems like a great opportunity, the chance to right all the wrongs and start a society off with a clean slate, but there will likely come a time when Vega's interests conflict with those of England, or the phoenix. What would we do then?"

"I don't intend to go to Iceland." Dianne admitted, looking away from Scorpius to stare out at the beauty around them. She felt Scorpius shift to study her, but didn't meet his eye. "I'm not an idiot. Vega is prejudiced and even without the phoenix it was pretty clear that you couldn't fill the Malfoy seat from Iceland. It's not the revolution that appeals to me, to be honest. I mean, yeah, it's the rule of law and it's a huge landmark in wizarding political history, but it's not the real draw." She dropped her eyes to the magic carpet, tracing patterns under her fingers, ashamed of the truth that Scorpius deserved to hear.

"Iceland does not appeal to me. But… it was flattering. Vega remembered me after four _years_ of not debating. The offers of scholarships and citizenship and him bending over backwards to accommodate you just because I let him think I was interested… it was heady. He's really, truly impressed. And, well, I always wondered what I could have done if I hadn't gone to Hogwarts. Then Vega appears and he offers me a chance to go to University, which I would never be able to do without faking my records for the missing years of schooling."

Dianne took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue. "I'm so sorry. I don't intend to leave England. I never meant to put you in this position. I just got so caught up in my pride and in my dreams… I look at Josh and I know I could have done better. But it wasn't fair to you. I've made my choice, and I don't need a degree to be Madam Malfoy."

He touched the back of her hand and she looked at him, just looking, not studying his expression or trying to convey anything in hers. He looked as solemn as she felt, and so she turned her hand over to grasp his tightly.

"It's not wrong to want to be recognized like that. It's not wrong to be prideful when you've earned it."

"It is if it hurts you." The sun was setting, highlighting his face and making his hair look gold. The long shadows turned the valley beneath them into a deep purple sea, and it was hard to imagine it as the carefree wonder-world it had seemed less than a half hour before. "You gave up everything you wanted for the phoenix."

"That is part of the duty of being an heir to one of the old families."

She wanted to look away again, away from the intensity in his face that made her feel very young and very vulnerable. He seemed to sense her avoidance, because he pulled her back towards the center of the carpet, closer to him and she settled against him, glad for his warmth even though it wasn't cool out.

"I understand why this was so enticing to you. The chance to set things right, and to be respected for what you know and how you think. I get it. I want it for you. I've seen you with Josh, I know that you're brilliant and that you care about what happens in this world. Vega believes it would be a shame to waste that potential, and I agree. I want you to attend for me."

"I don't understand, attend what?"

"The Wizengamot. It's not unusual for a stand-in to act in place of the headship during debates, and given your natural gifts, you'd be amazing. Additionally, you honestly enjoy the political games. I think it would suit you."

"And it wouldn't matter how many NEWTs I got."

"I have no doubt of your _ability_ to be a lawyer. But I think you would be more at home in debates than in trials."

"And it's not like you're thrilled at the prospect anyways, right?" Dianne felt herself smirking. "I'd get to run rings around all those stuffy old men you introduced me to at the ball."

"It does fit nicely, doesn't it? Of course, I don't technically have the headship yet, but there is no reason to believe I won't get it. I think it would be good for both of us." Dianne nodded, settling against him even more. She felt one hand ghost against her hair, and for a moment they both sat in silence, absorbing everything that had been exchanged between them. Nothing had changed, exactly. She had known that what Vega offered was impossible and that she would have to accept that fact. But somehow, knowing that this wasn't what Scorpius wanted made her very angry.

Even if it would work out—if she got to be a politician and he got to be a Potions Master—it was unfair that he had consider it, that he had been forced to swear fidelity on his magic to a species that ought to be representing their own interests. It was unjust that Scorpius not be allowed to voice his own opinions and that the phoenix didn't sit fairly on the Wizengamot. It was a disservice to all involved, and a testament to the state of wizarding society that none of the empowered parties wanted to change it.

"What are you thinking?" Scorpius asked quietly.

"Just thinking. Does the Wizengamot have a charter?" It was time to change tactics. Whether or not she attended for Scorpius and regardless of what she would eventually advocate, it was imperative that she learn to meet her eventual peers on their ground and frame her arguments in context of their values.

"Sort of." She could hear that he was smiling slightly, but also somewhat wary. "It is a continuation of the Wizards' Council, which was based on a contract. That Council expanded four times before finally becoming the Wizengamot, each with a document defining new purposes and powers. In addition, there is the precedent of laws and treaties with other nations. Why do you ask?"

"I think it's time I broadened my research objectives."

Scorpius chuckled very slightly, stroking her hair a touch more strongly. "I think you'll have to wait until after Berkley, or Josh will kill me for certain."

"I _meant_ when I was back at Hogwarts."

"You have time."

"A year. Hogwarts has the best library in wizarding England."

"Strictly speaking, it has the broadest library. There are significant gaps when it comes to its depth. And really, it's closer to a year and half. And I'll help, promise." After a moment, he chuckled again, and amended: "on one condition."

Curious, Dianne twisted and sat up enough to see him as she warily asked, "What condition?"

"You have to laugh more." Dianne rolled her eyes and smiled slightly, then realized that Scorpius was completely serious. He stared at her, weighing her response, and she sighed, looking down.

"I laugh."

"Not as much as you should, and usually only bitterly. You laugh at things that are ironic—you use sarcasm quite effectively and find it very amusing—but very rarely do you just let go the way you did that night at the arcade. I know that you enjoy that sort of thing—watching you work with Josh makes that obvious. But the only time you laugh about politics, it's always bitter humor. So if I'm going to help you explore all this, and I want to, you have to promise to laugh genuinely, and often."

"Alright. It may mean you'll have to take me back to the arcade."

"If that's what it takes." He was so solemn, so serious, that Dianne couldn't help but be touched by his concern. Then, after a long moment of just staring at each other, she leaned back against him, bumping into his chest rather more forcefully than necessary.

"Don't be so serious." His chest shook as he huffed out half a laugh, and Dianne let herself grin in response. "Is there anything else?"

"No. Though, we do have just over a day until we have to be in Berkley."

"Dad's letting you keep me over night?"

"That surprises you? We go to a boarding school. Very soon we will be out of his supervision for far longer than a day."

"Alright smarty, what did you have in mind?"

"Well…" There was something playful in Scorpius' tone, so that Dianne turned back to him and saw his smirk. "We are currently in an exotic country, armed with a slightly illegal magical carpet and a whole lot of money. I think we can find something to occupy our humors."

And that thought, a night and day spent chasing laughs, made her stomach flip. It was a thrill, the thought of just… flying. An unknown place, full of unknown adventure, just her and Scorpius racing toward anything that would amuse them. No plan. No care. The thought was foreign… but she felt herself return his grin. She could feel her skin prick slightly, as it had in the ice-cream parlor and remembered the rush that had led her to lean close to Scorpius as Derek drove up outside the arcade.

"Do my ears deceive me? Scorpius Alexander Malfoy wants to race all over South America looking for an adrenaline rush?"

"If that is what it takes to make you laugh, we will fly from here to the ends of the earth."

"Really?" It was teasing, but he seemed to meet it like a challenge.

"Absolutely."

"Well, in that case, I think we should start with you teaching me to fly this thing." At that Scorpius laughed, drawing her back close to him again, and she joined him. Despite the grim nature of everything that had been revealed and the weight that she had felt settle when she realized just how much each of them was being asked to give up, at that moment it all seemed very small. They could laugh, and fly. Worry could—would—wait.

-Chapter End. 10,300 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	7. History of Our Present

**CHAPTER SEVEN: History of the Present**

"Scorpius! Where have you been? Only one letter all break? Cousin mine, your decorum is atrocious!"

"I apologize, Edward. My Winter Solstice was unusual, as I have already communicated."

Edward laughed, reclining in his seat and shedding the obnoxious formalities in favor of hearing the news he craved from his friend. "And where is the lucky lady? I hardly got more than a name of introduction at your family's ball."

"She'll be here soon. She, like myself, has not been the epitome of communication with her acquaintances."

"Not that the loss of her acquaintances would be particularly tragic." The casual disregard brought a frown of disapproval to Scorpius' face, but Edward continued on before Scorpius could get self-righteous. He had forgotten that the Veela would be incredibly protective. "So, California, huh? You never really explained what had you across the pond."

"A sort of Reed family tradition. Her cousin was competing in a mock Congress, much like the Wizengamot in a way. Dianne was one of his primary supporters. He took the highest honor, largely because of her help."

"She did not compete herself?"

"She did not have the necessary time to prepare, with Hogwarts and such."

"And her cousin did? Where does he attend? Both Beauxbatons and Drumstrang let out after us." Scorpius sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Her cousin, like all her family, is Muggle. He does this sort of thing all year." Edward was spared the trouble of finding a socially appropriate answer to that reminder when Marlene Davies entered their compartment.

"Oh Scorpius! How are you? We haven't heard a whisper since the ball!"

"Good morning Marlene. I must admit that my lack of correspondence may be attributed to my good fortune rather than to poor health or any other acceptable excuse. I was simply too busy enjoying the Solstice to write but once, and this to my closest cousin."

Marlene didn't quite know how to answer that, and Edward wasn't eager to step back into the conversation until he had a better handle on Scorpius' mood. It was unusual for him to remain so strictly formal, and there was no telling why his cousin felt the need to use such a shield.

"The Muggle world was surprisingly fascinating." Scorpius continued after a moment, as though unperturbed by their lack of response. "I would not go so far as to say that I am eager to spend any _extended_ length of time there, but I do believe that it is the sort of experience one should have from time to time—perhaps as often as twice or thrice a year."

"Did you spend the entire vacation there?" Edward knew of course that he had, but it was impossible not to ask, nearly impossible to comprehend.

"Except for the ball and a few meals with my parents."

"But, why?" The idea completely startled Marlene.

"Dianne is well-versed in the wizarding world and my parents will have countless opportunities to see us both between now and the Spring Époque. Meeting with her family was not an opportunity to be squandered."

"Of course not." Edward cast around for another subject, _any_ other subject. "but your lack of correspondence has left something of a void on one very important subject." Scorpius cocked his head slightly, eyebrow raised in question, so Edward continued. "You know how we value your political opinions. Tell us, what do you make of the situation with the Naga?"

Scorpius' eyebrows drew down and together, his forehead wrinkling. Given his current mood it was the equivalent of gaping confusion. Was it possible that Scorpius hadn't heard of the situation? If so, highlighting his ignorance would turn what had been meant as flattery into a back-handed compliment and do nothing to improve his cousin's mood. The idea was to calm Scorpius down, not to rile him up by making him feel uninformed.

Luckily, for the atmosphere of the remainder of the train ride, Marlene was unable to contain her own opinions, thereby indirectly informing Scorpius of the relevant facts. "It is so very unusual. The Naga choosing to petition the ICW, and then the Wizengamot, directly instead of going through an old family… well, they say it's a sign of their wish to be open and sincere, a sign of good faith. But how is it good faith to so spit on tradition? I don't care if their treaty does give them the _right_ to appear before the full court! It isn't how things are _done_.

"And they don't even bother with a glamour. So tall and thin—it's not hard to believe that they are more closely related to dragons and mermen than to humans. It's disgraceful—Japanese water spirits parading around the Ministry of Magic, and so persistently!"

"What do you make of the claim itself?" Scorpius asked smoothly, and if Edward had not already guessed at his complete ignorance of the topic at hand, he would not have recognized that his cousin was fishing for details.

"Well, it certainly has the Muggleborns up in arms. On my way onto the train I heard several of them saying that whatever went wrong with the Naga wasn't just hurting them, but a whole lot of Muggles too! And they were saying it was our fault! As though wizarding magic had caused the mess in the first place."

"That is a possibility." Scorpius allowed, still completely neutral, as though the subject was of academic interest only to him. "Magic does interfere with a great deal of what Muggles manage to accomplish. This… mess… as you call it—is it possible that it is what is also known as a nuclear disaster?"

"Where did you hear that term?" Marlene demanded, forgetting for a moment that Scorpius had significantly more standing than her—both in Slytherin house and in the greater wizarding world. Luckily, Scorpius seemed to care more about his act of nonchalance than putting Marlene in her place.

"It's been in the Muggle news. I am merely trying to ascertain if it is the same event."

"It sounds familiar. Maybe it is the same." Marlene brushed the concern away to continue on with her original point. "What I don't understand, is that, even if it is our magic that caused whatever it is they're trying to fix, do they honestly expect us to clean it up? There is no way we can do anything without exposing ourselves to the Muggles. Of course, they only asked us to break the Statute of Secrecy _after_ they petitioned for us to release the artifacts necessary to allow them to perform rituals involving blood sacrifice. If that's not dark magic, I don't know what is!"

"And what's the ICW opinion on all this?" Scorpius asked, since it was obvious that Marlene wasn't paying attention to how much he did or didn't know. Edward took the opportunity to step into the conversation more fully, trusting that the intriguing events had cooled his cousin's temper.

"They've more or less washed their hands of the whole thing. Strictly speaking, the treaty with the Naga is between the ICW as a whole and the Naga. It's only by coincidence that the artifact they need to perform this cleansing, or protection ward or whatever it is, is in our keeping.

"The ICW split up the artifacts when the Naga gave them into wizard keeping, as per the treaty, but they don't want to give their opinion now. They flat refused their own aid, of course, under the Statute of Secrecy they can do no less, but they won't give an opinion on the matter of letting the Naga handle it themselves with this ritual. Which is their way of supporting us, really, whatever we decide."

Scorpius seemed very thoughtful, but his posture remained more formal than usual, particularly considering that Edward was his closest friend, and Marlene had been their ally for quite some time, no matter how blunt her opinions were, on occasion. When his cousin spoke, he gave the air of having chosen his words very carefully.

"This seems to me to be a great deal of clamor over what, is, in the end, a very small effect. We cannot take any overt actions, obviously. But what does it matter if we lend discrete aid, if we allow the Naga their ritual, or if we leave the Muggles to their mess? What, precisely, has made this into _such_ an ordeal?"

Marlene finally seemed to understand that Scorpius did not have a preconceived opinion on the matter. More importantly, Edward realized as he listened to her less enthusiastic answer, Scorpius did not seem to particularly agree with their position, even having heard of the situation only from them and therefore possessing no more information than either of them.

"Well, it's not every day that you see another species petition the Wizengamot directly. Mind you, the Naga have always played by their own rules, but even so… they are so bold in their addresses, calling out the old traditions without any sort of decorum. And they've made it clear that they have no intention of going away, since they have the right by treaty to petition without limitation, if necessary. They've been very blunt in their accusations—expressly blaming us for this disaster and what they say are hundreds of their own deaths and what will be hundreds or thousands of Muggle deaths.

"And then, too, there's the matter of this ritual. They say it is just to heal and protect their people—that it will be make them strong enough to survive until their waters are clean again. But it requires sacrifice. A willing blood sacrifice, at least, instead of a forced death, but a blood sacrifice nonetheless."

Scorpius nodded, studying them, even as he thought over the situation. Even if it was the first he was hearing of the situation, Edward was sure he'd have an opinion. Finally, Scorpius gave that opinion, in a slow drawl that seemed to indicate he was merely musing out loud, no matter how unlikely that was.

"So, it is possible, perhaps even likely, that the recent nuclear disaster is the fault of wizards, and it is killing not only Muggles but also the Naga, and may even drive the latter to extinction since they are, in fact, water spirits and therefore living in the fallout directly. The Naga have come to us directly and openly, offending our system but in keeping with their own past interactions with wizards, and are begging us to allow them to defend themselves. Barring that, due to our cultural and societal bias against them and their magic, they are asking for our intervention, which we are refusing based on fear of violating the Statute of Secrecy."

While it was a succinct and accurate recounting of the facts, hearing it from Scorpius was slightly unsettling to Edward. Something in the posture, or tone, of the Malfoy heir seemed to hold a certain amount of danger, and Edward wasn't sure how to respond. After a moment, Scorpius continued. "It seems to me an unfortunate situation to which there is not simple answer. Nonetheless, it must be answered, for the sakes of all involved. If their existence is being threatened, they will not lie down and die just because we tell them to."

Before either Edward or Marlene had decided how to answer Scorpius, there was a light tapping at the still-open compartment door.

It was Dianne Reed, looking unsure if she should actually come in, as if being Scorpius' mate did not guarantee her entrance to his circles. "Am I interrupting?" She was slightly bemused, like she was trying to hide a smile at some sort of joke. As soon as he saw her, Scorpius laughed and reclined, suddenly shedding the stiff mannerisms that had caused such tension in the compartment.

"Of course not. Come 'ere." He answered, holding one hand out to her to draw her into the compartment and put him in the seat next to him, by the window. She showed no hesitation as she went to Scorpius and settled next to him, though not so close as to be inappropriate, for which Edward was thankful.

"Good afternoon." She greeted them both. "You're Edward Greengrass and Marlene Davies, is that right? We were introduced at the Ball."

"That's right." Marlene confirmed, watching her very closely. "You're Dianne Reed. Are you looking forward to the coming term?"

"Yes, of course. I'm eager for potions especially. We will be studying the four and fifth exclusion principles in February, just at the same time that Master Xi is projected to publish his discourse on the exceptions to and limitations of the current model, along with his alternative. It should be fascinating to see how Professor Zabini chooses to handle the lectures."

For a moment, Edward was completely stunned. It was one thing to be a Ravenclaw. It was another to be tracking Potions Masters on other continents and understand their works well enough to know that it would relate to a lecture that had not actually been scheduled yet. Marlene seemed similarly stunned, but Scorpius just laughed.

"Please, please do not ask my godfather what he thinks of Master Xi's works. They wrote on the same topic for their Mastership Thesis, but because Xi's sponsoring Potions Master had greater seniority in the guild, his was published first. Zabini has never completely gotten over it, especially since Xi never actually brewed the potion in question due to a lack of power. To this day, he won't admit to reading anything Xi writes, although he has created and accredited at least two aliases for the express purpose of critiquing his work."

"Are you serious? Wouldn't it be better to refute him directly and let everyone know who the better master is?" Scorpius laughed, giving Edward the opportunity to answer her.

"And what if there comes a time when he cannot refute him, or when his critique is perfectly defended?"

"Well there's no two ways about it. Xi has either proven himself a worthy adversary and Zabini is a fool to so publicly hold such a petty grudge when they could both benefit from an open forum of discussion, or Xi is a fool and there is no reason to fear him."

"And which do you believe him to be?" Marlene asked.

Reed smiled an odd, slightly tight smile and answered coyly, "He's re-inventing a wheel that he could find far more easily in any university chemistry text book. But he's doing so without even the most basic understanding of atomic structure, so he has my utmost respect."

Scorpius laughed out loud for a second time, squeezing Reed's shoulders in a brief sort-of hug. "Do you know how to give a compliment that is not back-handed?"

"Of course. But it's not nearly as much fun." After Scorpius had laughed again, softer this time, she turned her attention back to Marlene. "What about you, what are you most anticipating this semester?"

"Charms and Runes. If I do well enough the rest of this year I've been offered a temporary Apprenticeship to a Master Warder for the summer."

"That's great!" For a moment, the honest pleasure and open happiness in Reed's face and tone threw Edward off-balance. While she had been in a decidedly better mood than Scorpius the entire time she'd been in the compartment, he had assumed that her cheerfulness would be reserved for him, not spread to peers who, frankly, she did not know much at all. "Is warding what you want to do when you graduate Hogwarts?"

Marlene seemed similarly surprised by Reed's enthusiasm, but after a moment, she smiled a little more genuinely as well and answered her. "No, the opposite actually. I'm intended to Richard Ogden, I don't know if you remember him, he graduated last year, and he's a Curse-breaker. He tutored me my first year in runes, and he always put everything in context of wards and how he would break them. I admit, I got hooked, even though I've since discovered he made up half of the breaking techniques he told me about at the time. Real or not, they helped me remember the early rune schemes."

"I've read about Curse-breaking. It sounds fascinating!" And, in fact, Reed seemed honestly interested in the topic at hand. "But why study warding if the purpose is to break the wards. Do the two skill sets complement each other?"

"Not specifically, but I can't do any actual breaking until I'm out of Hogwarts. It's too dangerous. At least this way I'll get some practice applying runes outside of the classroom."

As the two girls continued their discussion, Marlene recounting stories Richard had told her and Reed asking surprising insightful questions about the technical aspects of applied runic magic, Edward turned back to Scorpius.

"Does she honestly believe Muggles hold the answer to the flaws of the exclusion principle models?"

"Not Muggles themselves. But she swears by chemistry in general when it comes to Potions. She explained some of it to me, and what I understood seemed to fit, but there's a lot of ground to cover. Or so she says."

"She's an interesting individual."

"You have no idea."

"Not exactly my fault."

"Well, you'll have plenty of opportunity to change that now."

"Indeed."

"Thank you for making me aware of the situation with the Naga."

"I was unaware that you were ignorant of it, I honestly wished your opinion on the matter. But I am glad that I was able to be of service."

"And now I shall return the favor." Scorpius paused in thought for a moment, seeming to order what he wanted to say, and Edward waited patiently. "Obviously my information on the topic is thinner than I should like. Ideally, I would read the treaty in question and familiarize myself with our histories and with their species before rendering any opinion. But, since we are family and because I know this will not be the last we speak of it, I will answer you.

"To be honest, it troubles me greatly that wizarding magic may be behind the disaster in Japan. It has killed nearly a thousand Muggles already, and has the potential to kill thousands more. On one hand, this is known to be very dangerous science and it is foolish, as best as I can tell, for them to have pursued this technology. Regardless, they are now paying for it, as are the Naga.

"I agree that we cannot enact a full clean-up. Muggles know the sort of disaster that this type of failure causes, and they would be suspicious of any miraculous recovery. However, thus far they have only surveyed the damage around their own cities. Assuming that the Naga live in more isolated regions, we could easily offer some relief to them without compromising the Statute overmuch.

"As to the artifact and ritual itself, I can offer no opinion without knowing more detail. I am as uncomfortable with the idea of sacrifice as any other wizard, particularly blood sacrifice. However, it must be remembered that many of our most primitive potions started out as blood-based rituals, and it was only much later that we discovered how to move away from such darkness. Perhaps, if they were to tell us more of what they hope to accomplish and what the ritual would entail, we would discover it is something for which we have already created a substitute."

Edward couldn't help but sit back and laugh lightly at his friend and cousin. "And that, dear cousin, is why I wished to hear your thoughts. You have taken a complex situation and sifted it down to its most basic components, and offered solutions which no one else has yet truly seen. You split the blame when others attempt to assign it all-or-nothing to one party or the other. You advocate moderation where, again, the Naga see only complete relief and the Wizengamot turns a completely blind eye. And most inspiringly, you offer a useful solution to a politically impossible dilemma. Would that all the Houses thought as clearly as does House Malfoy."

"Well, cousin, when we are seated, we shall make two such minds."

"Two out of fifty. And it will likely be years before I join you, even just to attend. My father does not bear the marks of sin which plague yours." To his surprise, Scorpius did not react to the subtle reminder of his family's past with his customary cynical smile.

"All the more reason he should run for minister and allow you to fill his seat."

Edward found himself laughing, glad to be with his closest friend once more. "Why did we not consider this sooner? It is the perfect solution!"

* * *

><p>Dianne stayed with Scorpius for the remainder of the train ride, although she spent the first hour speaking mostly with Marlene. Despite her initial impression from the Malfoy Ball, Dianne found that Marlene Davies was at least as easy to get along with as Catherine. They talked at some length about Curse-breaking and other applications of Ancient Runes before touching briefly on each of their other mutual subjects. It was an interesting discussion, but it wasn't long before they were joined in their compartment by two other students, whom Scorpius introduced as his year-mates: Albus Potter and Summer McMillan.<p>

McMillan immediately came and sat on Marlene's other side, while Scorpius moved her closer to the window and sat closer to her to make room for Potter on the other side of the compartment.

"Did you enjoy your Solstice?" Potter asked as soon as introductions and hand-shakes were complete.

"Oh yes." Marlene answered, "I was able to accompany Richard to the Ministry's Private Auction and Dinner. You should have seen the goblin jewelry!"

After another moment or two of listening to Marlene begin to detail what she had seen and who had bid how much on what, the boys shared secretive smiles and Edward began a second conversation amongst them while McMillan exclaimed over the who's who from Marlene. "My vacation was very satisfying; for all that I was missing my best partner in crime."

"Don't keep us in suspense, did you offer the contract or not?" Albus demanded of Edward.

Easily deciding which conversation was the more interesting, Dianne tuned out Marlene's description of the dress of someone's wife to listen more closely to the other side of the compartment. "I did, in fact, and she has accepted. She now wears my ring."

"Congratulations!" Albus Potter enthusiastically shook Edward's hand, and Scorpius grinned widely at him.

"Thank you. It's nice to have it settled."

"Assuming all works out."

"We've known each other since before Hogwarts, and the last semester has shown no strain in our friendship, despite communicating only through letters. I'll be graduated in the spring, and she will complete her apprenticeship in the fall. There is no reason to believe we won't be married by this time next year."

"Congratulations, surely, cousin. Christina is a good match for you."

"I am glad you think so."

"If I did not, you would have heard of it long before now."

"Of that I have no doubt."

"On that note," Potter injected, "or at least a related one, there is a matter on which I hoped to hear both your opinions."

"Is that so?" Scorpius seemed suddenly wary, and Dianne felt his arm stiffen slightly, even though there was very little visible change in his posture. His tone suddenly reminded her of the drawl which she had always associated with him, but which had been absent for the entire break.

"Yes. House Potter is very interested in the intentions of House Malfoy in regard to the Naga situation. But, more importantly, I am anxious to hear your unguarded opinion. Unofficially, Slytherin to Slytherin, and friend to friend. I admit I haven't heard an opinion yet I am comfortable with."

"I'm afraid I can't speak authoritatively in either capacity. I haven't yet gathered all the facts I should like for the latter, nor have I yet discussed the former with my father. While I may be reasonably expected to assume the headship as soon as my 19th year, I do not yet have the right to speak for House Malfoy without his approval." Scorpius seemed to take a long breath, and although Dianne did not actually hear him sigh, he seemed slightly calmer when he spoke again.

"That having been said, I believe that we will take a moderate position in this instance, and I will press my father to include House Potter in our confidences at my next speaking with him. This is one circumstance in which I believe an alliance is too beneficial for both our Houses for even our hard-headed fathers to ignore."

"I understand. I would appreciate your consideration if you are able to inform me of your proposition before your father approaches mine, so that I may prepare him to receive it as favorably as possible." Potter seemed to respond to Scorpius' formality, and although it felt stilted to Dianne, it actually made Scorpius relax and he waved the concern away with his other hand.

"Of course, cousin. I apologize. I admit—being in the Muggle world, I didn't hear of the wizarding side of the situation until earlier today. I fear speaking from misinformation more than anything else. I trust you, and when the time is appropriate would hear your opinion as readily as you seek mine. Then, we will discuss for our Houses, once we have satisfied ourselves."

Edward laughed. "Only you could be so serious, so formal, and simultaneously admit to throwing tradition out the window."

Potter was less amused. "You specify 'the wizarding side of the issue'. I assume, then, from how you spent your Solstice that there is, as has been indicated, a Muggle side of this? The disaster is real?"

Dianne felt herself nearly hold her breath at the implication, which Scorpius confirmed a moment later. "There has been a deadly accident in Japan which has killed nearly a thousand Muggles and will kill many more in the near future, not to mention that the long-term impacts will likely stretch beyond our lifetimes. Based on what little I know of the situation, it is possible, perhaps even probable, that wizarding magic caused or contributed to the disaster."

"Merlin." Potter breathed.

"You mean the nuclear meltdown? Wizards caused that?" Dianne couldn't stop herself, and wasn't sure if she should. It drew the attention of the entire compartment, causing McMillan and Marlene to stop their conversation and listen into the response to her outburst. Scorpius tightened the arm across her shoulders temporarily in a brief hug, and Dianne felt her alarm rise.

"It's possible. I don't know without more detail. If so, it was an accident. But you know that magic and technology don't get along."

"There are 878 confirmed deaths and over 2000 people still missing. All the crops in the region are ruined, and will be for years. It's already the worst nuclear fallout since 2011, and it looks like it will get a lot worse."

"We don't know anything for sure." Scorpius repeated, meeting her eyes solidly, and she forced herself not to continue repeating the statistics that the media had been quoting for the past two days. Scorpius had seen the news reports, he had shared her stunned shock. So she swallowed her gut reflex to keep talking and keep talking until there was nothing left to say.

In the silence, while Dianne stared at Scorpius and fought to control her sudden and useless anger, Marlene quietly asked, "2000 missing?"

Dianne forced herself to meet the eyes of the stunned pureblood across from her. "And 878 confirmed dead. The optimistic estimates put the likely total immediate death count between twelve and thirteen hundred people."

"Sweet Merlin. Voldemort killed less people." Dianne considered holding her silence, but found she truly couldn't.

"Technically, he killed about as many wizards—just over 950 including witches and children likely to have become magical. But total deaths contributed to him and his death eaters, including Muggles and other sentient species, number just under nineteen hundred."

Scorpius' arm across her shoulder tightened again, but she wasn't sure if it was the result of stress, an expression of sympathy, or if it was an offer of comfort. She forced herself to look away from Marlene, to reign in her helplessness before it became an undeserved temper. She glanced over to Scorpius, quietly and self-depreciatingly reminding him, "I did tell you I wanted to be a historian."

His chest rose and fell in a rapid motion that was a soundless chuckle. "Perhaps it is for the best that Binns has blocked your first love. I saw you at Berkley, and you have no place in the world outside the Wizengamot. Pure poetry."

"I didn't compete." Because as great as it was to be praised in front of his friends, she felt herself blushing worse than she ever had at any public speaking event.

"And yet you still reduced one competitor to tears and sent four others storming away in sputtering and incoherent exasperation."

"They honestly thought the Onion was a credible source. They would have been better off with the Quibbler—Muggles or no!"

And suddenly the tension in the compartment broke. Dianne felt her exasperation slip away as Marlene teased, "And where on this scale would Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award rank?"

"I would like to give it greater credence than the Quibbler, but face it—Gilroy Lockhart still retains the longest winning streak and the fraud will die in Saint Mungo's, happily signing napkins. The Quibbler at least supports the impossible, rather than the pathetic."

"I second that." Edward offered, and it wasn't a moment later that they fell into a heated discussion of the varying credibility of the media sources in Wizarding England, which then gave way to a debate about emerging authors in the recent history sector. Dianne was surprised to learn that McMillan was a Ravenclaw, whose birthday fell on the last day to be a seventh year.

Even more surprising, and not a little bit comforting, was the ease with which she joined their conversations. It felt a bit like her first day at a new debate camp—meeting new people, testing the waters, and occasionally having to just listen to hide a patch of ignorance—but it was not unpleasant. In fact, it was a fair bit more welcoming and certainly more interesting than the Ravenclaw compartment, where her only real friend was Catherine. All in all, it easily answered the question of which table they would be sitting at for the welcoming feast.

* * *

><p>It took longer than Scorpius would have liked for him to investigate the Naga situation. They returned to school on a Sunday, and that night was the first of several that he spent on his homework. He couldn't bring himself to work on it during the day, when every moment was spent in class or with Dianne, and he paid for that inattention every night as he struggled to finish the long break assignments. It was Wednesday before Edward took pity on him and promised to point out the best references and lend Scorpius his class notes while Albus checked over the completed assignments. The system was familiar from the previous months of steadily deteriorating sleep and attention span, but Scorpius knew that neither of his friends was eager to see the cycle continue.<p>

It was a relief for all involved when Dianne asked Scorpius to meet her in the library after classes on Thursday afternoon. He had no idea when she was completing her work, because it was obvious that she lacked strong ties in Ravenclaw and had not yet fully forged inroads in Slytherin, despite having spent every evening after dinner in their common room. He expected to find her in the front, open portion of the library surrounded by year-appropriate texts, slaving to write essays. While it was unlikely he'd be able to finish anything with her nearby, it would be an improvement if he could at least outline the assignments he'd already collected that week.

It was to their mutual confusion that Scorpius, Albus, and Edward were directed to the back of the second story, deep in the history and law reference sections. Dianne had taken over an entire eight-person study table, with stacks of books sitting at one end and the area around her filled with open texts. She didn't glance up until Edward cleared his throat, and even then it took her a moment to register who they were.

"Hey. Sorry about that—I just got wrapped up. So, I spoke with Madam Chang and she helped me pull all these and promised I could reserve the table for the next month or so—she usually doesn't mind it since it actually saves her having to re-shelve the same books over and over."

Dianne stood as she was talking, grabbed Scorpius's hand, and led him to the end of the table. "Every history book that triggers the phrase 'Naga' or 'water spirit,'" she gestured to two stacks, "law books of the same," this time there was only one pile. "Here are the ones including treaties involving blood rituals and objects thereof," four smaller piles, presumably subdivided further in some unspecified fashion, and next she pointed to rows of books on the opposite side of the table, "those are NEWT and Apprentice level texts of Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Charms which triggered some combination of 'cleanse, restore, heal, rejuvenate' and so on."

They had returned to the head of the table where she had set up her work station, and where Edward and Albus were standing with their jaws metaphorically on the floor. Seeing them, Dianne turned to him with an obviously mischievous smile. "You did say you wanted my help with the, and I quote the 'whole politics she-bang,' did you not?"

"Um, yes. Of course." Scorpius couldn't help his lack of articulation. He was stunned. "You want to do this today?"

"Not all at once, obviously. But I can't spend every moment on Slytherin politics or I swear—I will go insane and drag you with me. That, and I can't keep writing my essays during lecture with any hope of keeping my NEWTs. This way, we study together, we move forward on the Naga issue, and we have a table reserved for a legitimate project which doubles as a retreat for us and your friends. You're welcome."

Still in slight shock, but thrilled at the development, the three boys shifted the books slightly, sat down, and pulled out their schoolwork. It took longer than Scorpius would have liked for him to learn to work with Dianne sitting next to him, but it was enough that by the following Monday he was finally on even footing with his schoolwork. He had been pleasantly surprised that Albus and Edward continued to accompany him, and even Marlene showed up occasionally. After years of Slytherin politics limiting the practicality of close friendships, it was refreshing to see Dianne effortlessly plant seeds of genuine relationships. It helped, of course, that there was no idle chatter or gossip, and there was hardly an hour without a break involving some discussion of politics. Dianne was slowly making her way through the history books around her own class load, and all four Slytherins were eager to help peel the sugar coating off the published works.

They found the treaty in the first law book they opened, and confirmed that the Naga were correct. They did have the right to openly and repeatedly petition the Wizengamot, though even Dianne reluctantly admitted that it was not the fastest way to get what they wanted. They had made their struggle about more than just helping a disaster, and instead had also taken on the entire political system, muddying the waters.

Further, based on what they could read from history and piece together from the technical books, the ritual they were trying to perform was not dark under the oldest definitions. It did involve blood sacrifice, up to and including death, but it seemed likely that if recent power-amplifying advancements in Runes and Potions were applied to the situation the price could be mediated down to a simple blood-letting and not a suicide.

By this time, all five had agreed that wizards ought to help if possible. The question of wizarding responsibility and the definition of 'if possible' hadn't been explored, for which Scorpius was glad. Dianne was being unusually reasonable—listening to all perspectives and offering simple, logical defenses without the ardent fervor he had come to expect. She was, however, taking the subject more seriously than any of them. After Edward joked that they should draft a proposal for the Wizengamot, Dianne immediately began looking into the proper format and procedures. After that, it took only a short discussion and a long silence to decide that they would make their best attempt, and the whole group avoided the issue outside of the library while they privately ironed out the details to allow the presentation of a precise and united front.

Scorpius was surprised but pleased at the chance to work so closely with Dianne on an issue where their politics could actually agree. Additionally, the time spent studying with the other Slytherins put Dianne further at ease with his house, and she continued to frequent their table and common room. One night Scorpius glanced up from his essay as Dianne laughed at something Albus had said and watched as she tossed her hair over one shoulder, catching the firelight. She met his eyes, and grinned. He smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Try saying it a little slower, and really match the syllables to the wand movements."<p>

"_Avis_." The effect was no different than it had been on the previous seven attempts. Writing the best essay in the class, and being able to recite the text book and eight supporting passages about proper technique and theory, did not enable Dianne to conjure the flock of birds required for her Charms assignment.

"Maybe if you…"

"Ackerley, listen, I really appreciate your help, but every puff of smoke I produce uses more magic than the practice is worth. I have Transfiguration first thing tomorrow, and if I don't stop now, I'll be completely useless then. I'll try your suggestions again on Saturday afternoon."

Dianne couldn't decide what was oddest about the last week and a half. She had been immediately accepted in Slytherin and warmly welcomed in a way completely different than the Malfoy ball. It seemed that everyone in Slytherin was at least casual acquaintances, and she was now counted in that circle. She hadn't yet gone to the common room without Scorpius—although she enjoyed listening to and occasionally adding to the political maneuvering, she was nervous about missing something if he wasn't there—but that hadn't kept them from (seemingly) accepting her as her own person. Even to the extent of tutoring, she noted bemusedly, watching Cassandra Ackerley sigh and pack up her things.

"Yeah, I have a class soon anyways."

"Arithmancy—we both do." Ackerley looked startled at the fact.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. You sit in the fourth seat, second row from the window. I'm on the opposite front-most corner." It was amusing, to see the Slytherins' reactions to discovering that they had been living in close proximity with _Dianne Reed: Veela Mate_—and had had no idea who she was. Personally, Dianne was enjoying the challenge of getting to create an entirely new impression on people who had only the vaguest ideas about who she should be.

She had earned their respect—sort of—when she interjected into a discussion between three seventh years concerning their highly theoretical Arithmancy homework and had proven them all to be varying degrees of right, by offering a unique solution which was the best of all. She had then lost that respect—sort of—when she walked across the common room to retrieve a book instead of summoning it. A step forward when they discovered she was fluent in Latin. A step back when she didn't recognize the name of a family who had died out in the war on Grindelwald. Another step forward when she could quote and dissect Grindelwald's manifesto, but _two_ steps back when she pointed out that it was largely paraphrased from Hitler's… whose identity she then had to explain. That had lead to a large discussion of which war criminal had stolen from which, and although Dianne won the argument based on publication dates, she had a feeling she had lost a fair bit of goodwill by doing so.

Cassandra—Ackerley, since Dianne hadn't actually been invited to call her by her first name yet—was still quietly considering this new fact about Dianne a few moments later, after Dianne had likewise gathered her things in preparation for leaving the library for class. "Are you also serious about the magic thing—having to not use it now so you can practice during Transfiguration?"

Dianne sighed. At this rate, she should just make a poster to put up on the Slytherin announcement board: "Dianne Reed is magically weak. She does not play Quidditch. But she will hand your butts to you by every other standard."

"You don't have to…" Ackerley started to excuse, but Dianne just waved the embarrassment away.

"No, it's a reasonable question. It's not like there are a lot of cases like me. At least, not that I've found and not according to the Healer I saw last year. Most people just have a cap on their magic. They can do so much, and not more. It takes a certain amount of magic to tire them out, and they recover pretty quickly. Not so with me. According to the best guesses, and that's really all we have, I've actually got a huge cap. I _ought_ to be very powerful. But when I was young I performed some pretty major accidental magic, and it… hurt me, in some way. Hurt my magic, I guess. So now I'm always trying to recover my magic enough to fill that threshold. My body doesn't rest between recoveries like everyone else. It's constantly recovering from when I was seven. So any magic I use is a set-back in that constant up-hill battle. I tire easily. But it really only affects my casting and how much magic I have at my disposal. I'm not physically tired."

"That's really complex magical theory."

"It would be to prove what's actually going on. As it is, I don't require a dissertation, just a plan of action. So, no more Charms practice until Saturday."

"I can't imagine budgeting my magic use like that." Dianne shrugged, not really wanting to answer that. "How'd you make it through OWLS?"

"I stopped all magic outside of lessons for two weeks before, and we weren't doing anything in lessons since it was all review. I took a bunch of Pepper-up Potions and a few more experimental ones. I basically got as strong as I could before hand, since I wasn't technically allowed to do anything during the exams. That Monday—my friend thought I was high. You have no idea how great it is to be able to feel your magic, because you're used to sensing it all day, every day. For me, it was amazing. It didn't last, of course, but my practicals were spaced out so I managed."

"Why not do that all the time?"

"The experimental potions gave me a fever, chills, and really, really freaky dreams. Pepper-up alone doesn't help that much."

"Have you thought about a magical transfer?" Dianne sighed again, knowing what was about to happen.

"No one in my family has any magic to give me." Dianne reminded her, carefully keeping her tone as clinical as it had been for the entire conversation.

Whenever she reminded someone of her Muggle heritage, Dianne got a response that was somewhere along a spectrum, with embarrassment at one end and suppressed disgust on the other, depending on whether the other student had simply never had a Muggleborn friend before or whether they actively disliked Muggleborns.

Ackerley blushed slightly and looked away, but didn't suddenly make up an excuse to continue to class separately, so Dianne counted that as a win. She bumped her shoulder against Ackerley's with a light laugh. "Don't worry about it. It would be the logical solution, if it was possible."

"I feel like a fool."

"I try to take it as a compliment—a sign that I'm counted as one of you." Ackerley looked thoughtful again, and Dianne left her to her contemplations, curious how she would respond. To her surprise, Ackerley held her silence until they entered the Arithmancy classroom, which was about half-full.

"I've never gotten the impression that Muggleborns wanted to be associated with Slytherins."

Dianne shrugged, following Ackerley to her desk in order to respond. "I have a compliment to pay you, but you wouldn't think it was one. So instead, please know that I think highly of you in particular and many of the Slytherins I've recently met in a more general way, and trust that I am the exception to the rule."

"You could tell me." Ackerley insisted, as she started setting up her station. Dianne shrugged again, leaning against an empty seat near-by.

"Actually, I think it's better if I don't. Some things shouldn't be translated, particularly when doing so removes them from the context of culture and history."

Ackerley blinked at her for a moment, then sighed and demanded, "Don't tell me you're in my Runes class too!"

"Sorry?" Dianne offered, and the Slytherin laughed.

"Alright, I'll just consider myself complimented."

"Come to order, class." Professor Boot requested as he came into the room. Dianne glanced toward her seat, but it would draw a lot of attention if she were to go to the front of the room now, with Boot already starting to write the outline on the board.

As the last murmurs of the class died down and Dianne hesitated with indecision, Ackerley quietly said, "The seat you're leaning on has been empty since the first day." And Dianne responded by dropping into it properly, pulling out her text and homework.

"Thanks." Dianne was answered with a smile, and then they focused on the lesson. It was half-lecture and half-exercise, requiring partners. With an uneven number of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, these usually resulted in a fair amount of shuffling as everyone partnered differently to try to avoid being the two odd-mans out. Now, with Dianne nearly surrounded by Slytherins, the numbers were even. She didn't end up working with Ackerley, but only because Cygnus Rosier slid his desk closer to hers without even bothering to ask. Dianne didn't know whether to be flattered or startled.

After class, including a pleasantly productive and polite—if impersonal—partnership with the quiet Slytherin, the houses split up almost immediately, each headed to their common rooms on opposite sides of the castle.

"We'll see you at dinner?" Ackerley asked, and Rosier turned to look at her as well, openly interested in the answer.

"I don't see any reason why not." They both offered smiles in answer—Ackerley's more noticeable than Rosier's—and nodded their good-byes as they followed their housemates.

"Are you out of your mind?" Catherine asked before she'd taken another step, and although Dianne continued turning to face her friend, she knew that the Slytherins were slowing within ear-shot. Not that it was difficult to be within hearing range of Catherine's rather expressive volume.

"I'm sorry?" Dianne said, although she wasn't and her tone made that fact clear. It was exactly the sort of subtle reprimand any debater—any Slytherin—would catch, understand, appreciate, and obey. So of course, Catherine plowed right through it.

"Why not just be re-sorted and be done with it!"

"Dude. Chill." Dianne was carefully calm, but firm. And not particularly quiet. She would not be bullied, and she could hear that the Slytherins had stopped walking away.

"Chill?" Catherine took a deep breath, and Dianne risked a glance behind her. The Slytherins were watching with open interest.

"Yes. _Chill_. It's not a big deal where I eat dinner. Certainly, it's not worth such a temper from you." It was a fine line to walk between words blunt enough to reach Catherine and yet sophisticated enough not to destroy everything she'd built in Slytherin.

"Oh. Well, forgive me for caring that you've gone off the deep-end! We never see you anymore! Not in the library, not at meals, not in the common room, and evidently not in class! This is exactly what I warned you about." Lord keep her, but if there was one conversation she did _not_ want to re-hash in front of curious Ravenclaws and watchful Slytherins it was the short-sighted advice Catherine had given her earlier that winter. Well, she hadn't spent summer after summer in debate camp learning to bite her tongue and play nice.

"Maybe if you were as accepting of Scorpius as they are of me, you'd see more of us." She sent a silent apology to Derek, even if he wouldn't know she had broken her resolution to be more understanding, and decided that she'd rather study with Marlene and Cassandra than with Catherine, because even if she meant it to be harsh, it was also true.

"He doesn't rule your life!"

"No. Of course not. But he does accept and understand it—evidently, better than you do."

"He's a pureblood!"

"He's my intended, and you will respect that." Catherine seemed taken aback by her complete forcefulness, and Dianne suddenly wished she didn't understand her friend as well as she did. All Catherine had ever wanted was to be loved. After her parent's divorce, she'd unsuccessfully sought a sense of belonging in an entire series of failed relationships. But that didn't make it Dianne's fault she'd been handed what looked like the perfect Prince Charming. Dianne felt something ugly uncurl in her, and knew she had to walk away before things were said that could never be unsaid. This was her temper and her pride and her defensiveness, and if she freed them she would do irreparable damage to the longest friendship she'd yet maintained.

"Look, I understand that you don't approve, but you're not my mother and you're not my conscience. I will make the decisions I believe to be best for myself and for my intended." She forced herself to take a deep breath and speak only from the side of her mind that still belonged to the cool debater that was focused on saving face with the Slytherins without burning her Ravenclaw housemates. Ignoring everything else, putting aside the emotion to be dealt with later, she sighed. "I just remembered I left one of my texts in the Slytherin common room. I'll see you tonight."

When Dianne turned around—not waiting for Catherine's reaction, not looking at the Ravenclaws' faces—she found the Slytherins had not only been listening and evaluating. Their ranks were open, and they appeared… understanding. As she walked forward, they waited for her. They met her eyes squarely, not ashamed of their eavesdropping, but not judging her either. They sort of closed ranks around her, Ackerley and Rosier closest to her as the others followed behind.

They had the good grace to wait until they had gone down two flights of stairs before they broke the silence. "I will never understand how you can go from an advanced discussion of Arithmancy in perfect English to a comment as vulgar as 'dude, chill' and yet end with complete decorum and a regrettable, if necessary, lack of subtlety."

Dianne met Ackerley's eyes squarely, knowing she only had one chance to answer this right and salvage what had just passed before it was an uphill battle for their respect all over again. "Language barriers do not exist only at the edge of translation, but also within languages themselves. I do my best never to alienate my audience by any mannerism—whether formalities or pleasantries. What is respectable in Slytherin is misunderstood elsewhere."

"A safer answer I don't believe I have ever heard."

"It is not safety but truth. I once spent a summer in two different cultures, one in which it was considered the upmost height of impropriety to leave anything on one's plate and the other in which it was a mark against one's host if the guests were able to eat everything provided. After an extremely large dinner and embarrassment on all parts, I now eat at the pace of my hosts."

"And which are we—empty plates or full ones?"

"You are Slytherins."

"And with an answer like that, you are as well!" Dianne didn't know the first name of the girl who said so, but she was relatively certain her last name was Macnair.

"Even if you had to rely on a forgotten book, of all invented excuses." Rosier teased, and the others all laughed as Ackerley gave the password to open the common room.

"That is what you think." Dianne said lightly, walking over to a low table by the fire, where a thick book rested. She picked it up, and slid it into the expanded and weightless book-bag her intended had charmed for her. "I am now late to meet Scorpius out by the lake, but I will see you all at dinner."

There was silence as she nodded her goodbyes and left the room, but to her delight she received a nod from every one of her year-mates in return, and she had to keep herself from skipping down the hallway on her way out of the castle. The situation with Catherine was worrying. She hadn't meant to isolate herself from Ravenclaw, and she had been missing her friend. But after Catherine's poor advice and almost possessive conversations over break, she hadn't felt like hanging out with her, especially since none of the Ravenclaws had ever made any effort to include her, let alone welcome Scorpius.

Additionally, Slytherin was a challenge, and she found herself enjoying it immensely, particularly as she would have to master the situation quickly if she hoped to walk into the Wizengamot anything less than completely blind. She could deal with Slytherin ignorance and even outright prejudice easier than her own house's indifference, and Scorpius certainly wasn't protesting the decision. It was enough to make her wonder if a re-sorting was actually possible.

* * *

><p>Scorpius forced himself not to run towards Dianne when he saw her coming down from the castle. For one thing, it would be rude to abandon Edward, Albus and Marlene when Dianne was clearly on her way already, and for another, it would reveal to them how much he craved her presence—worried about the unexpected delay. Although he trusted his cousin and friends as well as he trusted anyone in Slytherin, that did not extend to revealing in plain detail his greatest weakness. It was one thing for them to know academically that Dianne was his first priority—it was another to send the point home by acting like a love-sick third year.<p>

Nonetheless, when she was finally close enough to drop down onto the blanket that they had spelled to be warm and dry, he found he was grinning at her, but then she was grinning pretty broadly also so that wasn't such a crime. She settled next to him, fitting against his side as well as she always did, and he rested one arm around her waist, pretending that he didn't feel the slight tension drain out of his back at her proximity. He hadn't seen her since breakfast, since they had class during each other's lunch times and no free periods before now. It was obvious that Wednesdays were going to be the worst of days.

"Did you have trouble getting out of the tower and away from your housemates?" Edward's query was completely polite—the information could do him no benefit—but it caused Dianne to blush nonetheless.

"Sort of. I didn't exactly go back to the tower. I went back to the Slytherin common room instead to grab my Runes homework. I'll do Transfiguration tonight."

Marlene looked up in interest. "You shouldn't avoid your housemates."

"I'm not avoiding them. We had a marvelous discussion outside of the Arithmancy classroom, which I'm sure you'll hear about in great detail from my year-mates." Scorpius felt himself draw her closer instinctively, and she looked back at him, eyes bright. "It's nothing earth-shattering. Catherine is just being Catherine. Go figure. She'll get over it." Dianne paused a moment, looking away, before she seemed to come to a realization. "Or she won't. I'm not eager to lose her as a friend, but if she continues as she has there will be no question of friendship, and serious doubt of civil coexistence." Scorpius forced himself to relax and mentally cursed their audience.

It was obvious to him that Dianne was upset. The tension in her shoulders and the way she had to repeatedly force her hands out of fists were signs he recognized from their fights. While he was glad her ire was not directed at him, for once, he wished there was something he could do to ease her bad humor. Slowly, he raised the hand he had wrapped around her waist until he could gently stroke her arm in a soothing motion. It seemed to do the trick, because she took a deep breath and looked away from whatever distance she had been staring at to address Edward.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure I am interrupting something."

"Scorpius was just evading our questions about the particulars of the disaster with Naga."

"More specifically, I was trying and failing to explain nuclear power and this… fallout?" He wasn't sure that was the correct term, but he knew he'd heard her use it, and she didn't correct him. She did become much more interested in the conversation at hand, as they had known she would.

"What do you want to know?"

"What happened?" That was Albus, easily the smartest of Scorpius' close associates. It would be a tragedy if Potter didn't let him attend for House Potter soon after they graduated, but if the Family had discussed it Albus had never given any indication either way. Which was smart, since 'Harry Potter' was still a bed-time story and held a lot of public sway, regardless of the man's lackluster political acumen and inclinations.

Dianne smiled, knowing that the open question was as much a test of her as it was curiosity. She reclined against Scorpius further, tired from the day, and asked, "Shall I just give you as much background as I can guess you need, and you can interrupt if I give too much detail or too little?"

"That seems most prudent." Albus replied, and he set aside the textbook he hadn't read at all in the past hour to turn his full attention to her, and Edward capped his inkwell to do the same. Interesting.

"Nuclear power as a science was discovered around 1940. It was first used as a weapon, to end the Muggle half of the war which we associate with Grindelwald."

"Hitler." Marlene said, no doubt remembering the discussion of manifestos that had taken place in the common room the previous night.

"Actually, by that time Hitler was dead. The Americans were dealing with his allies, coincidentally in Japan. They deployed just two weapons in three days, destroying two cities and killing between 100 thousand and 300 thousand people, some of whom took weeks to die. But the problem with nuclear power, whether as a weapon or just as a power supply, is not just the direct damage it can do. Nuclear radiation causes a disease known as cancer. It's painful and it's deadly, but it usually only acts over a period of several years. Muggles are getting better at treating it, but sometimes the treatments are worse than the disease and they aren't guaranteed to work. In 1986 there was an accident in the Ukraine. 64 people died from radiation directly, but we will never know how many lives it actually took. Conservative reports say there have been and will be 60 thousand cancer deaths as a result. Other reports say there have already been nearly a million deaths caused completely or in part by that incident alone."

"Merlin, Morgana and Mordred." Edward breathed, and Scorpius knew how he felt. He'd known, sort of, that nuclear radiation was bad and that this was killing people. But he had no idea the scope of the problem. "One million Muggles killed by an _accident_?"

"Yes."

"Why, by all that is magical, is there even nuclear power to have a nuclear disaster? Why was it not destroyed and forgotten after Muggles managed to kill _one million_ of their own people?"

"Because they were afraid."

"What could be more frightening than killing _one million_ people in an accident?"

"Seeing four or five million killed on purpose."

The thought made Scorpius' blood go cold. Marlene interjected very quietly, "You said that the weapons only killed thousands of people though." And didn't _only killed thousands_ just sound wrong? "Less than a third of what the accident killed."

"Because the Americans didn't know what they were doing." Dianne sighed. "They had just invented it; they didn't know the best or most efficient ways to use it. Without going into the technical details, suffice it to say that it's a bigger threat now than just a million people. It's bigger than 10 or 20 million people." She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

"Picture it like this: what if Harry Potter and Voldemort had had to share a room for 20 days. I know it would have never happened, but just work with me on this." She waited until his three companions had nodded.

"Okay, now imagine that they're about equal in power and give them a bit of strategic thinking instead of just hate. Now, anything one does to the other, the other has the power to repay. The logical choice is to either to establish a temporary truce, or else to try to kill each other. Neither has the upper hand—so if they take the second option they both die. They're forced to take the truce." She paused just a moment to judge their reactions, but they were all waiting to show their opinions until she had finished. "Now imagine that you add… I don't know, um, Dumbledore and Bellatrix to the room. The same rules still hold, if anyone kills anyone else it upsets the balance and everyone starts shooting and everyone dies. Now, say they all agree, by some miracle, to not try to kill each other. The best way to enforce this would be, of course, to give up their wands. But there is no neutral party to take them, and even if there was, no one would be willing to be the first to give up their weapons. The same would be true for some sort of magic-suppressing potion or what have you. So instead everyone walks around with their wand at the ready in the name of self defense. Have you followed me so far?"

"I think I understand the point you are trying to make, but just picturing Potter or Bellatrix Lestrange with self control is laughable." Marlene tried to interject a bit of humor, and Scorpius knew without looking at her that Dianne would be forcing herself to smile, even though her tone indicated that the bad news wasn't over yet.

"Okay, well, the important part is that you understand that even though giving up power is laudable and intelligent, it's impractical. That's what happened in the Muggle world. Once the Americans used the atom bombs there wasn't really any going back. Nearly every developed country now has at least one nuclear weapon. America and Russia together have the power to blow this planet to pieces five times over. The rest of the countries combined, including Britain, have enough clout to do so about two and a half times. Believe it or not, that's a decrease from about a decade ago."

"And all that's stopping them from destroying the world is their own fear that their target will manage to destroy them in return before they die?" Marlene clarified.

"Pretty much."

"I need stronger curse words." Edward said, looking sick.

"Do you want me to continue?"

"There's more?" Marlene demanded.

"Just a bit more background, then I'll explain what happened recently." No one answered that, and Dianne seemed to decide that meant it was okay for her to continue. "So, if I can go back to the Potter and Voldemort analogy for a moment?" again, she took silence for consent. "The room gets cold and dark. After a tense moment, the occupants agree that since they aren't giving up their wands anyways, they might as well use them to light and heat the room. It makes everything tenser, but after a while it becomes normal."

She sighed, "That's what happened with Muggles. They figured out that nuclear technology can be used as a power supply as well as a weapon and they ran with it. Muggles need power for a lot of things that we use Magic for. They need power to cook, to move around, to heat and light their homes and cities. They need power to communicate with each other. There are a couple of safe ways to get that power—they can collect it from the sun and the wind and the oceans, but these ways are still being improved and developed. A lot of them are more expensive than the old ways of getting power, which are all harmful. Nuclear power has the most obvious harms, because the deaths are caused by huge incidents rather than adding up slowly over time, but it's not actually the worst power supply Muggles have."

"Furthermore, nuclear power is an important part of the solution to have less nuclear weapons around, because the weapons can be used as fuel for power plants instead of other disposal methods. It's less stable, but it means less weapons and more power, so it seems like a good solution."

"I take it that what happened in Japan involved these reformed weapons?" Albus guessed, and it was then that Scorpius realized he hadn't said anything else since Dianne had started the explanation. His face gave no indication as to what he thought of her revelations.

"Yes. Something—maybe magic, who knows, because if the governments have figured it out they're not telling the public yet—something caused a power surge. Even under the best of circumstances, that wouldn't be good. But the reactor core was really unstable because it was using fuel that had been weaponized and then de-weaponized. It exploded and caused a small earthquake. So now they are dealing with structural damages, fires, and nuclear radiation." She gave a slight, humorless laugh. "Really, we were very lucky that it didn't do more damage. In 2011, an earthquake hit nearly the same area. It caused a nuclear meltdown and a tsunami. Between 16 and 20 thousand people were killed in the immediate aftermath."

"A half hour ago that was a staggering number."

They all took a moment to absorb that reality: 20 thousand deaths was not a staggering, unheard of fact. If they believed Dianne as they should, it made the war with Voldemort an unfortunate time, but no longer an impossible tragedy.

"Whatever has happened in the past, 20 thousand people is still a great deal of life and potential that will never be realized. It represents mothers, fathers, children, siblings, families, and friends. Callousness to death is understandable, but hardly desirable." Dianne pointed out, more musing than reprimanding.

"Don't tell me you bleed for every death!" Marlene spit out, and Scorpius suddenly wished for a telepathic link with Dianne, to warn her to trend carefully. Marlene's uncle had been a strong supporter of Voldemort, killed by an Auror's dark curse and the Auror had been excused without a trial, with no justice ever offered to the Davies' family.

Dianne was silent for a long moment, before she finally answered in a tone that was, for all appearances, just verbal musings. "I can't say that I grieve every loss individually, but I do regret such a concentration of death, certainly. Particularly where it might have been prevented. It is part of what I find so horrible about the war against Voldemort. There was so much death, on both sides. Neither Aurors nor Death Eaters were very interested in prisoners, once it was clear that Azkaban was an insufficient security. Voldemort rewarded Greyback heavily while the Ministry dictators like Crouch decorated figures like Moody. Both guerilla forces were trying to masquerade as something they were not. The Aurors pretending to be a police force, the Order pretending they weren't vigilantes, the Death Eaters pretending to be an organized army. Say what you want of the ideals and goals and politics, when it came down to it the two sides weren't much different. Both recruited students. Both killed them. Both used lethal magic, whether dark or light. Family on family, brother on brother, Gryffindor on Slytherin. It's heartbreaking."

Silently, Scorpius considered her words. He had never thought of the war in that light, and wondered if any of his companions had. It was true, to an extent. Overly general, and very offensive, but equally offensive to all sides. Marlene was considering her words honestly, obviously surprised at such a fair assessment. Albus was looking at Dianne very calculatedly, and it made Scorpius both proud and nervous. Dianne had done wonderfully in Slytherin so far, but her instincts and debate-politics would only carry her so far, and soon his classmates would stop underestimating her. Albus was quicker on the uptake than most, but it was a heavy reminder to be on his guard. Edward seemed content to just lean back and laugh, fingering his text book as though deciding whether to end the conversation or not, even as he responded to her.

"Is there anything in the world you actually agree with?" Dianne cocked her head, considering the question.

"I support food banks and shelters for the needy. I believe in a strong central family unit, which seems to be in line with traditional pure-blood beliefs. There are several Muggle political models I find tolerable, but I have not yet discovered the names of their wizarding equivalents, if indeed they exist."

"Bloody hell."

"I think that was supposed to be rhetorical question." Albus explained, amused at Edwards' heartfelt and old-fashioned cursing. "But I, for one, thank you for answering it so honestly." He looked like the dragon that had found a hoard of gold, and Scorpius was caught between pride and worry.

"It wasn't an exhaustive list."

"Obviously not. But it was sincere."

Dianne shrugged slightly, still reclining against Scorpius so deeply she was almost lying down. "I see no reason not be sincere."

"An enviable position."

"And a precarious one, for I find honesty a difficult habit to break." Albus laughed, and Scorpius thought it was perhaps the most sincere he had heard his friend sound in the past few years. It made him almost miss that very first opening feast, when they had warily eyed each other knowing nothing but each other's names and family reputations and yet still had a genuine, interesting conversation. Slytherin was fascinating, challenging, and familiar, and often by necessity less and less personal as they grew older. It was therefore disorienting to see Dianne able to bring out heartfelt reactions he had nearly forgotten existed.

"I would argue that that, too, is an enviable position. However did you get to be so good at all this Slytherin maneuvering?"

"You should not ask questions you do not want to answers to."

"You should not assume to know what answers I do or do not want. We are quite interested in you, Miss Dianne Reed." Scorpius felt himself sit up straighter, recognizing the challenge in Albus' tone. Dianne touched his hand, offering enough pressure that he knew she wanted him to wait, to listen, but it was a battle to keep silent. If Albus saw the change in his year-mate, he gave no indication as he continued. "There is the nominal curiosity, of course, but never forget that we are and have been Scorpius' friends. While here at Hogwarts, Slytherin is our family, Scorpius is our family. So yes, I do wish the answers I ask for."

"Enough." Scorpius did not—could not, did not wish to—stop the growl in his tone. "Enough." Dianne held his hand more tightly, twisting her grip so that her thumb could stroke the back of his hand at the same time. Albus look taken aback, as though he had just noticed Scorpius' reaction, which Scorpius couldn't help but think was rather un-Slytherin of him. It was one thing for his class-mate to underestimate Dianne, whom he did not know, but ignoring Scorpius was deadly and Albus ought to know it.

"Zee." Dianne said quietly, just before he could continue. Scorpius glanced at her, evaluating her calm, pleading tone and the intense look she was giving him. "He didn't mean it badly. And he's right—I was very presumptuous." She was still very slowly and subtly massaging the back of his hand, and Scorpius forced himself to let out the breath he had gathered to use against Albus. She smiled just a touch as she heard him sigh, still holding his gaze. "Our tempers make quite the pair, no?"

And from this side of the sigh, releasing his instinctive tension and focusing on what Albus had said abstractly instead of his combative tone, Scorpius had to fight not to blush in embarrassment over his lack of control. He squeezed her hand a small bit, silently thanking her for her prudence and trying to signal that he was alright. So much for not demonstrating his Veela instinct. Dianne seemed to understand, because she turned back to Albus as though nothing had happened, even though all three of his companions were looking at least a little shell-shocked.

"I picked most of it up at various debate and forensics camps. Each summer my uncle pays for my cousins and myself to attend a camp in a different country. It's mostly so that his sons get the experience they need to pursue careers as a politician and a businessman and so that my parents can accompany him on his business travels. To achieve both of those, it is most expedient for me to attend camp with his sons. The politics are very similar, in their way. Very competitive, with a lot of respect based on reputation and skill as well as family and personal alliance.

"You're playing all of Slytherin with Muggle politics?" Edward sounded more disbelieving than offended, so Dianne just shrugged.

"I said you wouldn't like the answer."

"I don't know whether to be offended or impressed." Marlene admitted.

"Don't worry, my luck will run out soon and then you can be both superior and condescending."

"I don't get the feeling that luck has much to do with your success thus far." Albus mused out loud, carefully watching Dianne's reaction. She met his eyes solidly for a moment, before she responded sincerely.

"Thank you."

"Did you seriously just call Scorpius 'Z'?"

"Of course. Would you like to be J or Q?"

Albus thought for a moment, obvious evaluating her. "Because Z isn't in any of his names, like neither J nor Q is in either of mine."

"Everyone should have a nick-name at least once in their life."

"And what are you?"

"Lexi-Di." And she said it with such delight, such exuberance that Scorpius almost laughed, remembering the reluctance with which she had originally explained the name. She must have deduced that any hesitation would invite them to exploit the obvious and harmless weakness.

"Lexi-Di." Albus repeated, testing the name out mentally. "Don't tell me your politically-savvy debate friends invented such a name."

"Okay. I won't." She agreed happily, to which Albus laughed, followed closely by Marlene and Edward. Watching them, Scorpius felt himself finally relax fully. Dianne could more than handle herself, and although Albus was obviously evaluating her constantly, he wasn't doing so maliciously. Content, he laid back and laughed with his friends.

-Chapter End. 12,800 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated. We also appreciate all the support which followed the hiatus announcement originally in this chapter location. I am still living with the roommate in question, and she is doing so much better I cannot even describe it. This story is now completely drafted and will be posted completely very soon.

The disaster in this chapter was inspired by the nuclear incident which occurred in Japan in 2012. This is therefore dedicated to the people who lost their lives in that event and the family members who survive them. Despite inspiration and similarities, however, there are distinct differences. In 2012, an earthquake caused a tsunami to hit Japan and simultaneously damaged a nuclear power plant. In this story, an undisclosed agent has caused a cascading failure in the protocols protecting the reactor which resulted in devastating nuclear fallout. Historical numbers published in this chapter are accurate to the best of my knowledge, and come from a variety of sources to avoid bias. Personally, I don't believe nuclear power is evil, per se. However, I do believe that it is important to always remember the gravity of the costs which are hidden by modern convenience. As someone who has seen cancer hit my family time and again and will likely experience it myself sometime soon, I find the thought of additional future radiation exposure to be quite alarming.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Edited for major revisions June 12, 2014.


	8. Best Laid Plans

**CHAPTER EIGHT: Best Laid Plans**

"You don't think she's serious do you?" Cygnus looked up from his reading to see what had his intended interested. Cassandra was staring across the common room, watching their newest and most tentative ally, who seemed to be speaking with Augustus Ogden. The quiet seventh year was listening with a masked expression, while the rest of the common room appeared to be ignoring them. From where they were sitting on the far side of the room, Cygnus could just hear what Dianne was saying as she gestured with the small stack of parchment in her hand.

"Something has to be done. We are talking about literally thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives. More people than were killed in the last two wizarding wars combined. Furthermore, the magic of the Naga is not something we can allow to vanish without a protest. While their specific methods may be barbaric—I don't pretend to support ritualistic suicide—what they can accomplish is truly extraordinary. They may well hold the secrets to curing lycanthropy. The Ministry of Magic certainly thought so when the ICW was party to the original treaty. It's why we requested to hold the item now in question. It is an _incredibly_ powerful healing agent. We just don't know enough to use it yet, and I'm willing to bet the Naga don't really understand it either, or they would never have given it up for any treaty."

"And you think we should let them figure it out at the potential cost of the Statute of Secrecy?" It didn't take more than a quick glance around the room to confirm that he wasn't the only one watching the two of them discretely. Malfoy and his allies were sitting on the other side of the couch, discussing some assignment. He obviously hadn't realized that his intended had decided to speak on the most sensitive topic of the day.

"Not at all. I propose that we would be fools not to take this opportunity to learn more about how they _would_ use it and explore the possibility that there may be better and even more efficient ways to help the Naga, with or without the device. That is the original statement I made, and one you distracted me from quite deftly. There is no logical reason not to offer the Naga refuge while our leaders handle the long-term details. No one wants to see the Naga go extinct—it would accomplish nothing. It is ridiculous that basic humanitarian aid is being tied up by squabbling. Offering sanctuary doesn't mean condoning dark magic."

It was stunning to watch—like a Seeker attempting a Wronski Feint on a badly balanced broom. There was just enough possibility for a miraculous recovery that the audience couldn't turn away until the crash was complete. Reed had been handling herself quite well—though not flawlessly—and was as articulate as ever, seeming to be completely unaware of the dangers of taking such an honest, defiant stance.

"And I suppose you're going to suggest all this to the Wizengamot?" It was a pretty blatant challenge on Ogden's part, but not totally uncalled for. The veneer of eavesdropping was starting to fall as the general noise level of the common room waned. It was hard to believe Malfoy was still oblivious, but then he was still recovering from the long search for his mate.

"Should we say something?" Cassandra murmured, and Cygnus shrugged. They had made fairly open indications of alliance with Reed, and had led the movement of legitimate acceptance amongst the sixth years. She was smart, usually, and fascinating, but an ally who couldn't sense the current level of tension wasn't much good to them, even as Malfoy's intended.

"Of course." Reed answered Ogden, gesturing with the papers. "Not directly of course, I admit I'm still considering that angle. But it's a useless answer anyways until I've got the whole thing outlined. Hence the boat." She gestured toward the texts she had spread on the table, ground, and couch around her. History and law books, if the past day and a half were any indication. Ogden didn't react to the odd turn of phrase, which Reed seemed to use habitually to indicate that logic had come full circle to answer some original query. A week ago it had gotten her odd looks and an uncomfortable silence. Instead, Ogden pressed her further.

"It takes you all that—at least seventy inches—to outline that we ought to offer sanctuary?" Cygnus would judge the parchment she was gesturing with to be closer to a hundred inches, and her handwriting was minute. Ogden was being extremely generous, but then they were all still in the habit of stepping softly around Malfoy.

"Don't be ridiculous. I open first with the required and appropriate references from the past treaty in question as well as quoting those parts of the minutes from the winter session of the ICW in 1944 which dealt with previous responses to this sort of event. That's this here." Three sheets, each ten inches assuming she was writing in standard formatting. "Then I move into those historical occurrences in which the Wizengamot or its preceding bodies have chosen to offer sanctuary or equivalent aid to an endangered species—I have found seventeen, but for succinctness and readability I am grouping the aid offered to insentient beings into only two pages, highlighting similarities. I'm still drafting a short assessment of the nature of Naga magic, but of course they've shared very little with us. Another reason to build inroads and good faith." She separated out the next four pages. "Then the call to action: an immediate offer of shelter and basic health aid based on our magics, followed by the establishment of a small committee to discuss the matter of joint research and specific rituals or magic which would in turn free up the general Wizengamot to move on to other issues currently forced off the docket. When satisfied, that committee would act autonomously under the power vested by the Wizengamot. I understand that hasn't been common practice since Grindelwald, but with the corruption of the Ministry flushed out there is no reason to continue in fear of them." Very few people were bothering with subtly anymore. Malfoy had finally looked up, but he hadn't said anything yet and his close allies were still in quiet discussion of homework. Malfoy didn't seem concerned.

There was a moment of stillness in the room while everyone waited to see what would happen next and tried to absorb everything that had just been said. Honestly, the idea itself wasn't radical. It was straightforward, and probably what should have been done immediately—what would have been done if the Naga had come to a family instead of spitting on the established traditions.

Malfoy wasn't saying anything, still, and Reed was waiting for Ogden to continue the conversation. When he did answer her, it was with more gravity that Cygnus had thought he would give her. "And how do you propose to establish such a committee?"

Reed thought about it for a moment, and Cygnus wondered why Malfoy didn't jump into the opportunity. "Traditionally they were established by election. The purpose was to ensure a balance of ideals. Personally, I'd prefer if the statesmen were balanced by a few expert opinions."

Vespasian Ogden, Augustus's twin, turned in his seat to join the conversation, and though Malfoy sat forward to match him, he didn't make any motion to end the volatile discussion. There was no reason to it, no reason at all that Malfoy was letting Reed lay out policy like this without discussing it privately first.

"Impossible." He breathed, and felt Cassandra lean toward him eagerly.

"What?" She whispered, their conversation covered by the quiet talking of those still pretending ignorance to the politics.

"They've orchestrated this. Reed is doing this on purpose, probably as a dry run. If the politics are well received, Malfoy will likely ask his father to present this proposal. I bet the final draft is already written. They're playing us all—bluffing." He stopped then, not wanting to miss what Vespasian would ask.

"Expert opinions?"

"Of course. Representatives from the executive departments. Someone from the Department of Mysteries, at least one barrister, a senior ambassador from the Department of International Affairs, and probably someone from the Department of Misuse of Muggle artifacts to help keep the Statute of Secrecy in perspective." She raised a finger for each person. "Although," she mused thoughtfully, "maybe someone like your sister, who has worked as both a barrister and an ambassador would be able to both limit the number of people necessary and offer a more well-rounded perspective."

Cygnus had bad feeling that whatever game they were playing wasn't going to end well. He had to make a split second decision, to remain a spectator and watch them crash into the pitch or offer Reed—and thereby Malfoy—a way out of this mess. The view was unique, and it was a theoretically sound solution. But it was also absurd to think the Wizengamot would listen to reason in the face of the Naga's insult to tradition. He ought to distance himself from the coming fiasco. But he wanted to lead Slytherin next year, and that meant that he couldn't back down from his first overt political move, which meant he couldn't cut Reed loose. Which meant he had to stabilize the broom.

"The committee would never be established with the Naga requiring so much time." It was technically a criticism, but implying that was the only issue with their game was dangerously close to supporting them, and Cygnus wondered if he should add something more, but was spared the effort by Malfoy finally joining the discussion.

"The Naga would be fools not to allow the Wizengamot to vote on such a proposal."

"No, Scorpius, he's right. The committee needs to be outlined in the proposal directly. Priscus Ogden, of course, as I mentioned. Watson Perkins as the alternative expert—between his prestige in healing and his family's ties amongst the Obliviators and the Misuse Department he'll be able to answer most of the pressing concerns and weigh the validity of other evidences. House Malfoy and House Potter of course, and Houses Mockridge and Robards for completeness amongst the statesmen's parties. Croaker, plus two Unspeakables for the technical knowledge. That makes nine. Six votes to pass any resolution. How does that sound?"

She was asking it honestly, and for a moment he was utterly stunned. She was serious. Based on Potter's open interest, they were all serious. It was an extreme gamble. If it worked, they would be launched into the public view. If they failed, it was unlikely either Potter or Malfoy would see the Headship except through inheritance. But then, risking a spell was risking a wand. Cassandra seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she didn't stop him as he answered.

"Better, of course. But you assume House Malfoy and House Potter will get along."

"They did when the house-elves sought sanctuary." And where did the Muggleborn pull up that piece of obscure history? "Besides, House Mockridge and House Robards are both old enough to cool the tempers a bit."

Malfoy laughed quietly, a common occurrence since the Solstice that still wasn't quite yet commonplace. "It would seem you've thought of everything."

"I certainly hope so. This is important. For us, for the Naga, for everyone. You know it, or you would have picked another topic of discussion at least once over the last couple of weeks. I just focused it into a document."

"May I?" He was holding out his hand for the proposal.

"Only if you promise, sincerely, to play devil's advocate. I don't need you to tell me what's right with it. We need to identify the flaws, and fast, and find some way of submitting it to the Wizengamot."

"Give it here." Potter said, reaching over Malfoy to steal the document from him. "The submission won't be an issue." It was a bold, bold move in their little by-play. A statement of allegiance before he'd supposedly read the document. Both Ogden brothers were still a part of the conversation overtly, as was he himself, and they couldn't be ignorant of their general audience.

"Whereas, on the second day of the fourth month of the year preceding Hogwarts by two hundred, seventy-seven winters, this august body, then the Contractual Meeting of the Families, did sign as party to the treaty between the International Confederation of Wizards, then the Council of Known Magicians, and the Naga peoples to protect with all solemnity those magics of deepest importance to all, in accordance with those passages reproduced, for clarity, below;

"And whereas the International Confederation of Wizards, then known by such name, did on the fifteenth day of the last month of the year following the founding of Hogwarts by nine hundred, fifty-one winters resolve to aid their brethren living in Japan, offering shelter and aid, healing and sanctuary, refuge and assistance as detailed, for clarity, below in the wake of an incident not less in magnitude or nature than that which has occurred on the fifth day of the first month of this year, one thousand twenty nine years following the founding of Hogwarts;

Albus took a deep breath, then continued reading aloud.

"And whereas"

"Good grief." Greengrass cut in, staring at Dianne. The whole common room was now silent. "Where did you learn to write like that?"

"I just imitated the other proposals on display in the library."

"Imitated?"

"It's not hard. Actually, I took a half hour to read my favorite sections out of Immanuel Kant's _Critique of Pure Reason_. Then I imitated them. Fortunately for my sanity, the examples seemed to indicate that contemporary English was acceptable after the principle points were laid out."

"Fortunately for your audience." Albus said, still reading the document though now silently. "You're shockingly good at this." His tone trailed off slightly as he re-read whatever was before him. "You say you gathered this from listening to us?"

"Not everything. Certainly not the background; for obvious reasons I tracked that down independently. Why?"

"Because I think I would remember discussing the practical ramifications of alienating the mer-people who are likely to identify with the Naga, and yet I am embarrassed to admit I hadn't even considered inter-species reactions." She was waving the concern away.

"I didn't think of it either until I heard Ogden mention it as I was passing him towards Charms yesterday. It got me thinking, and, well…" she gestured to the document, but Cygnus was watching the twins again, judging their astonished but not offended reaction. She didn't allow them a chance to speak or answer before she added, "you probably won't recognize that next bit about having a chance to study such damages in another country, and preparing against the day that such thing could happen here in England. Rosier and I were discussing it yesterday, where the current power plants are, how many are within fallout distance of Hogwarts, and so on. We're safe, by the way, at least from the initial effects based on the current published statistics. I had Derek check for me."

She leaned back slightly, and Cygnus was careful to keep watching her, knowing that others were now watching him, judging his reaction to being unwittingly included in this set-up even before he'd decided to step in. "Really, Albus, I didn't mean to make this an ordeal. I was only hoping you could point me towards someone to help me with the more technical wording for establishing the committee. Or appointing it, given the discussion we just had. Regardless I didn't intend…" she waved a hand at the common room. "I know this is one of those 'everyone's talking and no one's speaking' sort of issues."

"Cygnus Rosier." Augustus Ogden said quietly, before any of Malfoy's party could answer her. "Without a doubt, Rosier is the one to go to for anything related to procedural subtleties." It was the truth, of course. But it wasn't the sort of thing one said. Ogden wasn't his ally, and had nothing to gain from making him look good. Vespasian turned to his twin in slight surprise, then glanced back at Malfoy with understanding. By some intuition, Cygnus likewise understood.

"Tomorrow after Runes perhaps?" He offered, quietly. "Cassandra and I were just headed out for a stroll."

"I'd appreciate that. I'll write up the changes and have a copy ready." He nodded, then gave the slightest of deference to Malfoy and the Ogdens as he stood and led Cassandra into the hall.

They made it as far as the potions classroom before Cygnus felt himself sinking against a wall, tired after the adrenaline.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?"

"I don't think so. Maybe. But I think it was all intentional, and if it was…"

"Intentional how?"

"I think they set her up. They all wrote that—she couldn't have done it on her own. They couldn't talk about it, not after being silent for so long. They wanted a way to declare their verdict and open the floor for discussion, but none of them could do it. It would have taken weeks to work through the house under normal conditions, and then weeks more to hear back from everyone about their families' opinions, and only then could they go to their own Houses." As he explained his suspicions, he wrapped his arm around Cassandra's shoulder and brought his intended to sit a little closer to him. "But Reed isn't held to the same standards as they are. She can stand in the middle of the common room and declare her intentions, and everyone just sees a pretty Mudblood. The other seventh years were watching her like she was a badly trained leprechaun imitating its handler, but they weren't actually discounting the proposal itself. She lost her own political impressions, sure. But she'll make that up eventually. She's recovered from everything else. And now she's got even more allies to help her too."

"More allies?"

"Ogden didn't have to give her my name, and without a response the whole charade could have fallen apart. He saw that Malfoy was letting her talk—he always sees those subtleties—and he inferred what I did. We both made covert declarations tonight."

"How bad is the risk?"

"For us? Very little. If they win, we look good in periphery. If they fumble, we blame Reed. The biggest risk is that we'll have to cut ties with her and reverse the first decision the other sixth years started following us for. But for them… Malfoy is risking his seat over this. If it blows up on them, he'll have to wait for his father to die or be elected Minister before the Headship transfer will even be considered. And Potter likely won't get to sit at all. He isn't an elder son, and if he doesn't prove that Slytherin has made him worthy there's no reason for House Potter to choose him over James. Except of course that they're all mad Gryffindors, so who knows what they'd really do."

"Why risk it for her? I mean Malfoy, sure, he's been batty all year. But Potter? And Greengrass sat there and watched. You know he had to be in on it."

"I don't think they did it for her. Not really. It doesn't make sense. For Malfoy, maybe. Or perhaps they actually believe it will work. Maybe there are motives we don't see. But I doubt it's for her. That's not why I spoke."

"Dragon breath. I had to beg you for three hours before you agreed we would make Reed our first move. You said it was too risky. Risky to be associated with the Veela mate of the Malfoy heir! And now you're publicly agreeing to edit and thereby implicitly support a proposal you haven't even read. Admit it, you didn't want to see her crash."

"I didn't. But that's not why I agreed. Could I protest Ogden's compliments?"

"You keep telling yourself that." Cassandra said quietly as she leaned against him, staring into the empty corridor in front of them. "Are you really the best?"

"For the line-by-line editing, certainly. You know that Rosier isn't a seated house yet—and wouldn't Parkinson love to argue we aren't a house at all—but we're close, and a lot of that is because we draft about a tenth of everything that makes it to the floor. Hardly anyone seated does their own writing of course, but we're one of the only houses to write for more than one faction. Everyone knows we're impartial."

"Not on this issue."

"I will be when I edit. Besides, I think she knows more about what I believe than just what I discussed with her."

"How so?"

"Look at who they called out today: myself and Ogden. There's no doubt that Malfoy rules the seventh years, but if the twins were just a few months older, they wouldn't have had an issue taking on last year's class. Honestly, I'm glad I'm not competing with them. Not sure I'd bother. And now we are looking to take control when Malfoy graduates. They wouldn't make that kind of power play without some assurance. I think she guessed we were both sympathetic to the issue. And like she said: no one actually wants the Naga to die out."

"I am so glad that I can leave the politics to you." He laughed lightly, and purposefully turned the conversation to discuss her mother's most recent letter. He would handle the politics as they came, and see if he could get Cassandra to spend some time with them as he and Reed discussed her proposal. Whatever else she was, Reed had been expertly at ease as she basked under her peers' pressure.

* * *

><p>To say that Dianne Reed upset the power balance in Slytherin was an understatement, in Albus' opinion. It wasn't a bad thing, and they had certainly used it to their advantage in the case of the proposal, but it was worth noting. It was an odd combination between fitting perfectly into the atmosphere of intrigue and constantly adjusting the topography of the politics around her. She had an opinion on absolutely everything, and although he had seen her restrain herself on several occasions, he was relatively certain that no one else realized how often she held her tongue. It had the effect of making her seem naïve even while she constantly gained the subconscious respect of the Slytherins around her.<p>

When Albus heard of the confrontation in outside of the Arithmancy classroom between Dianne and Catherine Richardson he was pleasantly surprised. It was a less than ideal situation—really, Dianne should never have let an acquaintanceship get so out of hand and he wasn't sure he liked that she had turned on an ally so publically—but she had handled it appropriately. He knew from Scorpius that Dianne had confronted Richardson later that evening, and the two had not spoken since. Evidently Richardson had offered poor, selfish advice and Dianne had chosen to cut the friendship rather than accept Richardson's limitations. It wasn't particularly fair, but Dianne had a right to her own choices, and he didn't know the entire situation.

When it became clear that Dianne had effectively chosen Scorpius and Slytherin over Richardson and Ravenclaw, her Slytherin year-mates strengthened the alliances they had tentatively offered her. The effort was led by Cassandra Ackerley—which was not a surprise as her family was neutral—and Cygnus Rosier, which was less expected. She had accepted and returned every gesture of alliance they had made, and insisted that Rosier could be safely included in the proposal revelation, but when given the choice she clearly preferred to spend her time with Scorpius—and by extension, Albus, Edward and Marlene.

Despite this, it was with some surprise that Albus looked up from the text he hadn't been reading to see Dianne sitting across from him at his library table. For a moment, he just blinked at her, before marking his text and shutting it, giving her his full attention, since she had made no motion to open any homework of her own. "Can I help you?"

"I hope so." She glanced away, as though studying something else. It was a tell he had noticed before, when she was unsure how her words would be received. She looked back and met his eyes before she spoke. "I have a question about… about pureblood culture, and I was hoping you could answer it."

"I will do my best, but… why don't you just ask Scorpius? I doubt anything you say could offend him." To his surprise, she blushed a very dark pink and started to study her hands which were clasped on the table, carefully still.

"Um… that would be a little counterproductive." She added nothing to that cryptic statement, although she did look up to meet his eyes again. After a moment, Albus cocked an eyebrow and sat back in his chair, gesturing with one hand for her to continue.

"Do… do wizards have a holiday that celebrates love, or couples?" Albus felt his brows draw together in confusion, and chose to let them. Dianne was not someone who required the use of a mask. "It's just… Muggles have this holiday called St. Valentine's Day, and I wondered if there was an equivalent."

Distantly, Albus recalled his Aunt Hermione teasing his mum about a St. Valentine's Day involving a dwarf and a horrible poem, which caused his dad to blush and Uncle Ron to laugh.

"I'm not exactly sure what St. Valentine's Day is, but I don't believe there is any holiday like that. If I have understood correctly, the Muggle day has been celebrated at Hogwarts once or twice, but never since I've been here." She let out a sigh and her whole posture seemed to relax and her blush died away.

"Thank heavens."

He found her smile infectious, and since he hadn't really been studying anyways, he continued the conversation. "You don't wish to celebrate your relationship with Scorpius."

"That's not it at all. It's just… well, we don't have a great track record with romance. He's easily my best friend—besides Derek I guess, but he's my cousin—and I think I love him, but every time we try to do the romance thing it ends badly."

"It will likely please you to hear that purebloods don't put much by romance. At least, not as I understand it from Aunt Hermione. Weddings are special, and I know my parents always spend their anniversary alone together, but there's not a lot of romancing in the intended period of dating. Less temptation, you see."

"That makes sense. More sense than a lot of Muggle traditions, certainly. And it works in my favor, in this case."

"Seems to me you've managed to work most things in your favor."

"I'm glad you think so." But from the way she slumped in the chair, she didn't agree.

For a moment he considered pursuing the topic of her success in Slytherin, but another interest was more pressing. "Why did you agree to this?"

Dianne's gaze, which had wandered to the grain of the table, snapped up to his, and for a long moment she assessed him before she answered. "I don't see that I had a lot of choice. I fit in Slytherin better than I fit in Ravenclaw, to say nothing of Scorpius. Besides, as Madam Malfoy I will benefit greatly from relationships and habits built here. I need to have my own place in Slytherin—Scorpius won't be here next year."

"Very logical. Perhaps I should be more specific, however. I meant, why did you agree to be Scorpius' intended?" She held his gaze steadily, not answering, obviously wary. For a moment he considered waiting her out, but eventually decided to elaborate instead, shrugging and looking away as though their topic of conversation was much less serious.

"I don't mean to offend you, but I overheard my mum and my Aunt Hermione discussing the situation—Hermione is Muggleborn, you understand—and she was saying that she wished Draco had thought to go to her before he approached you. She was worried that you would reject Scorpius outright, or at least make him wait until he'd met your parents and had their permission. Mum couldn't believe you would make Scorpius suffer like that, but Hermione said that it was likely that the whole Mate-for-life thing would freak you out. I just wondered… whether that was a founded worry?"

"Yeah. Well… it probably _should_ have been. If I had been smart, I would have refused to hear anything until my parents were present, or refused to make a decision until I had spoken with them. But, to be honest, I was scared. Terrified. I didn't realize it at the time even, but I got this huge adrenaline rush and my thoughts just kind of focused on getting out of the office and into a situation I could control."

"The Muggle world."

"Yeah. And… well, you didn't see Scorpius. They said he could die I just thought 'he hasn't already?' because if he hadn't been breathing, I would have checked his pulse. That made it kind of an easy decision. And it's not like they were asking for an Unbreakable Vow. They had sort of already assumed that Scorpius would come home with me, and since I wanted to go home, it just seemed to fit."

"Thank you for answering honestly. I find your sincerity to be refreshing in general, but it is especially appreciated when it comes to Scorpius."

"You're welcome. Thank you for answering my questions as well."

"I am more than happy to help. If there is anything else you need clarification on, please come to me. I haven't been exposed to the Muggle culture directly for any extended period of time, but I have picked up a few things from my dad, grandfather, and aunt."

To his surprise, Dianne seemed to tear up slightly as she nodded. "Thank you. I don't think you have any idea what that means to me, right now."

Albus smiled at her, glad for the chance to act natural without being judged. "Hey. You're not just Scorpius' mate, you know. You're carving out a real place in Slytherin. And you're doing so by being genuine—offering genuine opinions about topics you have genuine interest in. Granted, not everyone is going to be completely accepting or offer the best advice, but you've earned respect. I'd be proud to count you an ally on your own merit, regardless of your ties to Scorpius." After a moment's pause, Albus decided to take the risk he'd been debating since she'd so calmly and yet so brokenly talked about millions of deaths and vigilantes that pretended they were an army. "Which is why I'd like to call you a friend, if I may…?"

She gave a still-watery smile. "I'd like that very much, Albus, thank you. I'm so glad I've had the chance to get to know you." He returned her smile, and she laughed slightly, barely more than a puff of air. He'd heard her use it on Scorpius once or twice and had always watched in amusement as his friend flushed and grinned in pleasure. Now, he had to remember that Dianne was Scorpius' mate, that they had barely become friends, that she was lonely and tired but not desperate. Fortunately, the librarian was there a moment later to remind them of curfew and Dianne was distracted by the conversation long enough for him to look away and clear his throat. Scorpius was a lucky, lucky snake.

* * *

><p>Scorpius went home that weekend to discuss the Naga situation with his father in person and present their legislation to him and then hopefully to his family allies, and although Dianne was made welcome in the Slytherin common room she chose the neutrality and quiet of the library for her studies. In addition to homework, she had a new self-assigned research topic. After off-and-on study throughout the week had turned up very little in the way of Naga history apart from their direct interactions with wizards, and next to nothing on their culture, she had sent Hogwarts' fastest owl to Derek, asking for an update on the nuclear situation and some basic research on any legends surrounding "Naga" especially as this term related to Japanese snake-dragon-water peoples.<p>

What she had received in return had been a packet of information thick enough that the post service sent it in the care of three owls. She had opened it and skimmed it enough to be certain it was relevant so that she could reply with appropriate gratitude, but hadn't had the chance to read it as of yet.

So it was that by lunch time Dianne had finished her essays, moved to the reserved table hidden on the second floor, ordered a cup of tea from the house elves, and set out a sheet of parchment for notes. It took her three hours to read through the information Derek had sent, most of it copied or summarized from web pages as she had expected. She read it once for information, a second time for the most common and probable facts, and a third time for her own personal notes. Then, armed with Muggle speculation and legend, she returned to the history stacks.

Scorpius didn't return that night, not even Albus knew where he had gone to after meeting with the Potters, and he wasn't at breakfast the following morning. With a terrible suspicions growing in her gut, Dianne threw herself into her investigation to try to disprove her concern. It was nearly noon when she was finally interrupted by a presence leaning over her chair.

"What are you working on?"

Dianne jumped in surprise, very nearly knocking over her chair before she realized who was behind her. "Merlin, Scorpius. Sneak up on me, why don't you?" He grinned tightly, leaning against the table close to her and picking up one of the sheets of notes set a little away from her work.

"The Garuda and Vinata as the Phoenix." He read off the heading. "This is a list of similarities and differences between… what exactly?"

"I've been looking deeper into the situation with the Naga, building some history, culture, back story, that sort of thing. I didn't find much at first, but I asked Derek to send me some Muggle legends about Naga as a starting point, and once I had a frame of reference it sort of fell together. Not _everything_ is fleshed out, but I've got a pretty good idea. Things are a bit fuzzy about the edges—for example the Garuda. They're Muggle characters, and I'm not sure what the equivalent is. I mean, I know that there is some sort of equivalent but whoever it was, they were working through a wizarding proctor. It sort of fits for them to be the Phoenix, but I really don't have enough information." Scorpius returned the notes to their previous place, with an expression that might have been bemusement, but the more she looked at him the more certain she was that it was cynicism.

"Have you spent my entire departure chasing Muggle rumors?"

"No. I had a couple meals and lost a game of chess quite spectacularly while I waited for you to come back. When you didn't, I tried to distract myself. And this is important, not just a distraction. There's so much I need to tell you. But first, what happened last night? Why didn't you come back with Albus?"

Scorpius shifted, uncomfortable, and glanced around. "Can we talk somewhere else, more private?" Dianne immediately nodded and began to gather her notes. Scorpius took the effort to return her books for her, so as to hurry them out of the library and to the nearest classroom. By the time he had shut the door and cast his most complex wards, Dianne felt she had a right to be concerned.

"Scorpius, what _happened_?"

* * *

><p>Hearing the concern in her voice eased something inside of him, and he turned to look at her, finishing the wards he had perfected earlier that morning to allow them to talk outside of the sanctuary. Dianne reached out to him, fingers brushing along his arms as though to assure herself he was really there. Even through the thick sleeves of his robe, the touch released the ache in his knees and shoulders and Scorpius felt himself crumble. To his immense surprise, her grip tightened immediately, holding him up. She pushed forward a few steps and he backed up at her direction, finding himself sitting on the abandoned teacher's stool, for once shorter than his mate.<p>

He looked up at her as she moved one hand to feel his forehead, laying her palm and the back of her hand against his skin. "No fever, do you feel dizzy?" She started to take her hand away, and as she did, dizziness hit him suddenly and fiercely. He caught her hand in his as though to kiss it and raised it back against his face, closing his eyes against the nausea. A moment later, he opened his eyes in surprise to meet her concerned gaze.

Gently, she pulled her hand out of his, so that she was now carding all ten fingers through his hair in a slow, rhythmic motion. He had never felt so weak, and as he slumped forward, she directed his head so that it rested where her shoulder sloped gracefully into her neck. And then, without any forewarning or any choice, he was sobbing.

Scorpius hadn't cried since he was a small child, when he had fallen from his broom and broken his wrist, and he did not cry now. Because whatever this was, it wasn't about tears. It was about needing to breathe so badly he would never have enough air again. It was about choking on emotion and not having any control over the trembling in his body and not having any grasp of time or reality. He could feel the cool skin against his forehead; he could feel the hand gripping his neck in an attempt at reassurance; he could feel the motion of his robe as it was gently and slowly massaged against his back. But it was a dream, or a memory. Wonderful, of course, but unreal.

It felt like a long time later that his breathing finally fell into a rhythm. Huge breath in, long and uneven sobs as he let it out. It took several minutes before he realized he was matching the rhythm of the person next to him, matching the rhythm being gently rubbed into his back, matching the rhythm of the hand that was clenching his neck tighter on every release of breath.

He did not know how much longer it was before he could hear Dianne over the rushing in his ears, but she must have been talking for some time because she didn't seem to expect an answer from him. "That's it, just keep breathing. You can cry, Zee, there's no shame in that, but you have to breathe because not breathing, well, our bodies don't tend to agree with that. I think the longest a person can go without fresh oxygen is about three or four minutes. Maybe Olympic swimmers can go longer, with training and all, but you're no swimmer, so you need to breathe with me. Just breathe with me Zee. Breathe in and… Breathe out. Don't choke on it; there will still be oxygen tomorrow, and in an hour for that matter. Just breathe in Zee… breathe out." After another moment of this sort of nonsense, Scorpius tried to raise his head up, but her grip on his neck tightened even more, keeping him in place.

"Don't be ridiculous, Zee. You stay right here. You don't have to be strong all the time." After a moment, Scorpius let himself relax against her again. It was not the closest they had ever been—there were actually only two points of contact between them—but it felt intimate, somehow, and he was in no hurry to change that. So he sat, leaning against Dianne's shoulder, eyes closed as he listened to their synchronized breathing.

"Do I need to kill your father for you?" Dianne asked, very quietly.

After a moment to realize that she wasn't serious, Zee found himself chuckling softly, the motion of his body reflected back slightly through hers. He knew he shouldn't be satisfied with her defensive instinct, but he couldn't help it. "No. Father agreed on every point. He only waited for me to step through the fire before he was using it to contact all of his allies, and many of the neutrals."

"Was it Potter then?" He really should just tell her, spare them both the guessing, but he found himself unable to bring it up, so he answered her instead.

"No. Albus was waiting here when I flooed back, and when I told him that Father had agreed without exception and had authorized me to speak for House Malfoy, we flooed together over to Potter Manor. Harry Potter was surprisingly cordial and listened fairly to us both. By midnight, between Potter and my own father, about 40 members of the Wizengamot had pledged to support the resolution as we had written it, _verbatim_. Immediate sanctuary to any Naga who wish it, with our best healers working on reversing the effects suffered so far. A hearing between three representatives of their choice and our committee to determine the feasibility of the ritual or an alternative." It made him sick, just thinking about it.

"That's 80%—it would automatically bypass the minister's signature."

"Yes."

Dianne seemed to turn all this information over in her head, carefully considering it. "You should have been back last night after the floo calls were finished and you knew you'd been successful. And you shouldn't be this sick from just a day and a half apart. The Phoenix called you."

She made it seem like such a simple statement. He couldn't bring himself to confirm it, couldn't speak at all around the lump in his throat, but she didn't seem to be waiting for him to. "They have an opinion on how the Naga should be handled."

"Yes." He whispered it against her skin, relishing the physical strength he could feel returning the longer he was in contact. Being on separate continents had been Hell.

"They don't approve of our resolution."

"No. They don't. They want me to ensure that it won't pass, and to tie up any other motions toward help. They don't want wizards and Naga working together, and frankly I don't either. Oh, Dianne, the things I've heard. You have no idea how lucky we are that the Phoenix are paying attention—we've come so close to disaster. The Naga are dangerous. And they are dark—not just dark in their power, but in their very nature."

He sat up to look her in the eye, to see her reaction, to communicate the depth of his mistake. "We have been deceived. They are sacrificing their women and children to this contamination in the hope that we would give them this ritual, and I played right into it!" To his great relief, Dianne did not pull away in disgust or condemn him. She carded her hand through his hair again, pulling up another stool with her other hand so that they were sitting with their knees together. Then she took his hands, as she once had at an Italian restaurant, playing with them and running her fingers over them as though she was trying to see them without her eyes. It felt as wonderful now as it had then, and Scorpius found it ever easier to breathe.

"Tell me, please." She met his gaze for a moment, then glanced back down to study their entwined fingers. "Let me share this burden." And he supposed she had that right—the resolution was as much her work as it was his and Albus' if not more. They had even presented it as her work. For a moment, his stomach knotted itself wondering how he would face Albus, but he forced himself to set it aside in favor of Dianne's request.

"The Naga and the Phoenix have a long history, none of it good. It began before either species was even fully formed. When Magic was still wild, long before Hogwarts, there were two sorceresses. The Sorceresses themselves were diametrically opposite, and they were rivals. One of them—the mother of the Naga—bested the other—the creator of the Phoenix—in a bet. The Naga took advantage of that to…twist…Magic. They forced the Phoenix to serve them as slaves. After several generations—which when it concerns the Naga is about 500 years—the Phoenix were able to free themselves. It took trickery, the Phoenix don't deny that, but they were desperate. The Naga quest for greater power didn't end there.

"After they lost the Phoenix as their slaves, the Naga had to rely on a different sort of suffering for their strongest magics, and they chose sacrifice. They sent their own people, the females mostly, to a special priest who burned them alive and channeled the power through an artifact to the head of the Naga—that's the artifact they are looking for. The ones who have already died in the nuclear fall out—both Naga and human—are seen as a necessary prepping to restart the ritual, not exactly by fire but it seems they've decided that nuclear radiation is close enough."

"Why didn't we know about this ritual? Surely a history so horrible and so closely connected with an item we were to safeguard would have been known?" The question sounded very careful, as though she had given it more thought than she had had time for, but since Scorpius had asked the same question he was not surprised. Dianne had never demonstrated herself to be an idiot.

"They only used it for a short time before they were stopped by a young warrior. He was descended from the sorceress who birthed the Naga and was trying to redeem his family from her evils. It was quite fortunate that he did so, or else everything might have been lost. The Naga thrive on famine and disease and they would have starved all of India in their lust for power. They hate humans now, because of that warrior, and if they had control of this ritual, they would probably use it to set off all those other weapons you talked about."

"Was this half-wizard warrior named Astika?" Scorpius realized he had been studying their hands, and looked up at Dianne in complete surprise.

"How did you know that?" She met his gaze squarely, although the increase in the pressure between their hands indicated that she was nervous and… restraining herself?…but Scorpius could not guess the cause.

"I told you that I had built my own back story around the Naga. I spent a great part of yesterday and all of this morning on it."

"If you knew, why didn't you stop me?" Anger flashed through him, hot and heavy against his grief. Why force him to repeat it, to relive the horror at what they had nearly unleashed if she already knew?

"The history I found barely resembles what you just told me. I think I'd better tell you what I've discovered. Can we find the answer together?"

"Of course!"

"Even if you don't like the outcome?"

"I have set in motion that which might have become the annihilation of the human race. I don't think it can get worse than that."

She considered that for a long time, still staring into Scorpius' eyes, but just as the silence started to worry him, she spoke in the same calm, careful tone she had used to explain nuclear weapons to his friends on one cold evening by the lake.

"There were once two witches, Nadru and Vinata. They were sister-wives of a powerful king and Sorcerer, and very jealous of each other. In their arrogance they made a bet, with the wager being freedom. Whoever lost would have to serve the other until death. Neither one was honest, so they each used magic to create what they believed would be the perfect helpers to win the bet. Nadru was from a town by a river, she was familiar with the life-giving nature of water, and thus she chose to create creatures who were like the water-snakes she had so loved as a child. Vinata originated from the desert, she knew the power of heat, the endurance that surpassed all understanding, the importance of every drop of water. She created fire-birds. The Phoenix agreed to help Vinata, but the Naga were not so kind to Nadru, refusing to be party to the cruelty of slavery that would result from the wager.

"The exact nature of the bet is dead to time, but the outcome is not. The king to whom these women were married was not blind, and he overrode the bet, forcing neither to complete it on pain of death. Unfortunately, it was not only a bet but an Oath. And Magic, as she often did in those days, intervened. The wives were made slave to the king, and the Naga were rewarded for their uprightness by being put master over the Phoenix.

"It was not a position they appreciated—they had tried to avoid the bet over such concerns—but there was not a lot of choice. As a wizard who owns house-elves, I'm sure you understand." She paused for a moment, whether to gather her thoughts or gauge his, he was unsure, but whatever she was looking for she found a moment later, for she continued in the same tone.

"After several centuries, the Phoenix came to the Naga with what they believed to be a solution. Since an Oath-bet had created the servitude, they believed another magical contract could end it, if it was of significant magnitude. After several attempts with little success, a Phoenix proposed a very difficult quest, and the Naga wrote the appropriate contract. The Phoenix would attempt to find the spring from which Nadru had created the Naga, and bring them water from it, which would be like an elixir to the Naga, allowing them to expand their powers—particularly their powers of healing."

"The Phoenix succeeded, bringing the elixir and fulfilling the contract. It was a sufficiently difficult task that they were released by Magic, and immediately they threw the chalice they had brought as evidence onto the ground, spilling its contents, and fled to places unknown. For their treachery, Magic bound them to only exist in their bird-like forms. The Naga remained in India, interacting with wizards and Muggles and content to simply exist in their culture.

"This is where I become unsure of who the actual actors are. In wizarding poetry and in Muggle folklore they are called the Garuda, and based on what I can find I believe it to be the Phoenix, but I am not certain. Regardless, a person or a people called Garuda approached a king of India who was also a wizard and offered him great power in the form of a ritual-sacrifice. He immediately grasped at the magic, gladly killing nearly a hundred Naga by fire on the command of the Garuda. The destruction which resulted from this ritual was great. The crops that the Naga had nurtured over-ripened, then withered and died, and healing rituals they had given the Muggles in the guise of pagan worship ceased to work.

"Persecuted and desperate, the Naga made a treaty of neutrality with the ICW. In exchange for surrendering any article which could be connected to sacrificial magic, the wizards arranged for the king's son Astika, who was secretly half-Naga to challenge him for the throne. However, because the ritual had tainted the land, the Naga were forced to flee from India. Leaving the land nearly destroyed them, because of the way they bond with the earth, but staying in the place of the burning would have meant a slow, guaranteed death. They settled in Japan secretly and their treasures were divided amongst the nations. I believe England was entrusted to hold the chalice which once carried water from the first spring to the Naga. It supposedly allows one Naga to lay down his or her life in exchange for the lives of others."

Scorpius knew, on some level, that she was finished speaking. But her gaze was still assessing him steadily, her fingers still worrying over his hands, and it didn't feel finished. That couldn't be the end. It, just, couldn't be.

"How did you find all that?"

"Muggle sources had several helpful legends, which gave me a starting point. They didn't all agree, but after reading through the resources from Derek it was pretty clear that there was nasty history between the Naga and the Phoenix that we didn't know about, the Naga had at some point lived in India, and the Naga were closely associated with healing, fertility, and yet some sort of terrible sacrifice as well.

"I started with the famine caused by the sacrifice, and used that to find a date-range to look at. Then I turned to political texts—anything written around that time. After that, it was just following clues and reading between the lines."

"How confident are you that you're right?"

"About 90%. Even though the Phoenix history is very different, it seems to fit, just from a very biased perspective. Their version is twisted, but it fits."

"How do you know the Phoenix aren't right and the Naga are the biased ones?" He challenged, although he wasn't sure why. If the Naga weren't everything he had been told, then they weren't monsters and he wasn't a monster for helping them. They were victims, who _deserved_ the help of the resolution. _Their resolution, which he had to condemn_. Dianne answered him, unaware of the drop his stomach had decided to take out his toes.

"I looked, Scorpius, I did. The Phoenix are supposed to be light creatures! I assumed from the beginning that they were the good guys and were just getting a bad reputation somehow. And, to be honest, I was really hoping they were the victims in this for your sake. I was worried sick about the implications of the Phoenix being as conniving and treacherous as they are because I was worried about what it meant for you, as their representative. I went looking to prove the Muggle legends wrong, but it just doesn't line up that way. It's a lot of little details, and I'll show you the notes if you want me to, I'll walk you through every book and every poem and every article. I'll go to any library I can get access to. But the more I dug, looking for vindication, the more everything pointed the other way. I'm sorry, Zee." So she did know—or sense, at least—the pit in the floor that was trying to eat him, the dizziness in his head that wouldn't settle, even though he clutched her fingers more tightly and she responded by clinging to him as well.

Scorpius broke eye contact to lean his head back against the crook of her neck, and for a long time they didn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry." She repeated quietly, but Scorpius hardly heard her. The Naga were victims. They needed, desperately needed, the help their resolution would give them. And the Phoenix would not allow it. Would not allow him to aid the Naga because of a feud older than the settling of Magic. It was even possible that the very faction he was representing was responsible for the sacrifices that had so disgusted him. Certainly, the wizard's help wouldn't even be necessary if the Phoenix would share the location of the first spring. But that was impossible. There was nothing he could do—they would not be persuaded.

"Help me. Please."

"Of course, Zee. I'm here, promise."

"How do I do this? How can I withdraw support from the resolution without undermining it completely?" If he had been looking at her, he would have noticed her change in expression and would have paid greater attention to her sudden stillness. "How can I change my position on this before the vote at end of the month without completely destroying everything I have built, in Hogwarts and beyond it? I held an equal council with my father and with House Potter. I built 80% support! How can I turn my back publically, ensure it doesn't fail, and salvage my reputation?"

It wasn't until Dianne gently, slowly, pushed one of his shoulders away, forcing Scorpius to look up at her, that he realized the change in the atmosphere of the room. Dianne's expression was closed, confused, and distant. Her posture was stiff. The hand still encased in his was completely limp.

"Scorpius, I don't think I understand. You're not going to do as the Phoenix asked, are you?"

"I took an Oath, Dianne, I don't have a choice."

"You said if you broke that Oath you'd lose your magic."

"Exactly."

"Scorpius, what the Phoenix are asking is _genocide_. Without aid, without that chalice, the Naga are all going to die. It nearly destroyed them when they left India, and that connection with the land was already hindered by the evil of the ritual. They _can't_ abandon Japan, and they will die a slow and painful death if they remain. Don't tell me your magic is more important than that."

"Dianne, you don't honestly expect me to break an Oath? I would be a squib!"

"You're asking me to help you make sure _murder_ doesn't hurt your political career."

Scorpius sighed, not surprised she hadn't connected all the dots yet. "I have to be politician, remember?"

There was a very long moment, in which Dianne just stared at him, and Scorpius knew she was weighing what he had said and comparing it with what she knew, looking for that one spark or connection that would provide the perfect solution to everything. After a long time, she seemed to reach an internal resolution and very quietly said, "I see." Scorpius relaxed, for just a moment.

Then Dianne was walking _away_. There was no moment of releasing his hand, no _good-bye_. Just the stare, the _judgment_, and then _Dianne was gone_. He wanted to _move_, to _chase her_ as he once had, to _reach out_ and _hold her_, to ask what she had seen, but he could not. _She was gone_.

-Chapter End. 9,800 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Posted on July 5th, 2014.


	9. Good Intentions

**CHAPTER NINE: Good Intentions**

For the first time in her recollection, Dianne had absolutely no destination in mind. She had no forward goal, only the urge to run—to flee what lay behind her. She should go back to Scorpius. She should assure him he wasn't being rejected. Except that she couldn't say it. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't trust herself to stand in the same room without resorting to some sort of violence in a hope to force him to recover some sense. So she didn't stay, she didn't look at him, she didn't say anything. She fled.

If Deputy Weasley hadn't been stepping out of her office at the exact time Dianne was approaching, she likely would have fled Hogwarts on foot, but Weasley did, and Dianne didn't. Instead, she stopped the Deputy Headmistress just as she was locking her office door.

"Deputy, please, I have to go home."

To her credit, the professor blinked, stared at Dianne for a moment, then opened the office door and ushered her in, shutting the door behind them. "What is this about Miss Reed?"

"I need to talk to my cousin. Now."

"Has something happened to your family that Hogwarts is unaware of?"

"No. But it is a matter of life and death."

"Yours?"

"Scorpius Malfoy's." The professor settled back on one foot, gesturing to the seats in front of her desk. It was an obvious delay tactic, which Dianne ignored.

"If Mr. Malfoy is in any danger, surely it is _his_ family which needs to be informed?"

"You misunderstand, I believe Derek to be the one person who can remove him from danger."

"And why is that, Miss Reed?"

"Derek is pretty much the one person on this planet who I trust to tell me I'm wrong. And I need to be wrong, or I am going to do something which could be very harmful to Scorpius, as a Veela. I don't want to hurt him, I don't. But I can't trust myself to talk to him right now. If I do, I will say things we will both regret, perhaps permanently."

"Surely being so self-aware, you are able to control your temper." It was a clear reprimand, but since Dianne was still seriously considering turning right back around and giving Scorpius Malfoy a piece of her mind, possibly shattering forever his peace of mind, she didn't answer or move. "You understand that this is highly irregular."

"I didn't ask to be a Veela _Mate_. I didn't ask for someone's life to be put in my hands, _again_. I didn't ask for Scorpius to turn my world view upside down, and I didn't ask for my dreams and my hopes to be replaced by the reality of having to be Madam Malfoy. I didn't ask to be forced to make moral decisions the scope of which I could not even conceive half a year ago. I _am_ asking that you allow me the resources necessary to handle all of the above."

"And you believe your Muggle cousin is capable of being that resource."

"I believe he is completely and uniquely suited to the purpose."

"You can't leave school property without a supervising adult."

"Scorpius and Albus did so last night, Deputy."

"You're a Muggleborn."

"I'm a _Veela Mate_." Deputy Weasley studied Dianne for a long time, trying to judge something that Dianne could not even guess at. Finally, she nodded.

"And where is your cousin now?"

"He's at a hotel in Barcelona, Spain. I have the address here." And she produced the letter which her cousin had sent her two days previously, giving her the address to send her next correspondence to. "He's also alone, as it so happens."

"Very well, Miss Reed."

* * *

><p>Scorpius felt the itch in his magic that told him his mate was beyond his reach (she was gone), but was unable to convince himself he should do something about it. It didn't seem to matter, really, if she was outside of this room, or if she had left Hogwarts, or if she had left the United Kingdom (gone was gone). She wasn't here with him. She had seen, and she hadn't stayed.<p>

Vaguely, he knew that he was worried about what might happen to her (she was in danger). It was the same worry that was always present whenever she was not where he could see her and protect her for himself. It was more acute now, because he didn't know where she was (and the phoenix were furious), and it was growing slowly worse as he realized he didn't know how he might track her down, but it wasn't enough to raise his head up.

'She will never love a coward.'

Scorpius hadn't known what Derek meant, hadn't understood, hadn't thought of himself as cowardly. Hadn't realized that it was true until Dianne was looking at him in confusion, in disbelief, in horror (then she left). He was a coward. He could understand what she meant, when she urged him to break his Oath. But he couldn't picture himself doing it—but he wished that he could try. He wasn't strong enough to give up his magic, not when there was any other choice (but loosing Dianne was **not a choice**).

He didn't deserve her. Seeing her shock made him wish it could be different. It made him want to be that brave, to care that much. Not only to erase the betrayal, but also to be the man she had thought he was. Listening to Dianne made him important, like there was something significant happening and he could affect it. But seeing her walk away had been like a paralysis spell. He realized that the vitality she'd given him hadn't just been the Veela – it had been that, but it was also her idealism.

He didn't deserve her yet, but he wanted to, and he would.

* * *

><p>Despite what she'd told Deputy Weasley, Dianne wasn't sure that Derek would be in his hotel room. But in the choice between hiding somewhere in Hogwarts and searching all of Madrid, only the latter seemed like a true option. As it was, her luck held. Derek was sleep in the bed just in front of her, and he was alone.<p>

"Derek, Derek wake up."

"What?"

"Derek."

"Di? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Dianne felt a lump form in her throat and forced herself to swallow around it. Even half-asleep, Derek always knew when she needed him.

"Everything."

"What are you doing here?" He was waking up more fully now, sitting up and looking at her more clearly. "Are you hurt?"

"No. Not physically. Can we talk?"

"I doubt you came all the way from Scotland just to wake me up. Come on, sit down." Immediately, Dianne kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the bed, leaning against the headboard and Derek himself.

"It's Scorpius."

"Okay. I kinda figured. What happened?"

"It's horrible. He wants me to help him..." Dianne could feel the tears coming and tried to plow on. "Help him commit genocide."

"What?"

"It's so complicated. We've been working on this bill, a real bill for legislation in the Wizengamot. It's supposed to help with the nuclear fall-out in Japan. Specifically, there's this magical race, called the Naga, the ones I asked you send me the information on. They live in the fallout, but away from Muggle notice, and the bill negotiates to give them medical aid, refuge, and other potential help. We all wrote it, Scorpius, Albus, Edward and myself. But Scorpius… he's sort of a representative to this other magical race, the Phoenix. And the Phoenix just told him that he can't help the Naga. They want him to kill this bill. And he agreed. He wants my help."

She couldn't get any further. There was so much more to say, but it was trapped behind tears and pain, and after a moment of trying to swallow it down, she gave up, curled towards Derek, and simply cried. To his credit, he didn't pry or question, he just held her and rocked her until it passed. Once she was cried out—when tired and mad overcame hurt and betrayed—he handed her the tissue from the bed table and helped her sit up.

"I didn't explain that very well. It's just… I'm so stressed. I've been working so very, very hard since we got back. And we were _there_. We had it. The bill was completed! We got it written and we promoted it in Slytherin among the heirs and the other family contacts. Scorpius and Albus took it to their Houses, their families I mean. Albus came back late, but he said everything was fine, that it had gone well.

"But Scorpius never came back to Hogwarts. I stayed out way past curfew waiting for him, then had to sneak back and still couldn't sleep. I woke up early and he still wasn't back yet. I was driving everyone crazy I think. And this whole time I'd been trying to look into the history of the Naga, because there's a lot of rumor, but not much concrete record. And based what you sent me, I got a pretty good idea of what happened. It took me so much longer than it should have, but it just didn't occur to me that the Phoenix might be in the wrong. I kept looking for sources that would exonerate them, and it just wasn't there. Finally, this morning I found the right sources, and everything I found pointed to the Phoenix consistently, almost systematically, attacking the Naga.

"I think I knew that Scorpius was with them. I just didn't want to believe it because I was so scared for him. I was terrified that they would hurt him for helping the Naga, that they were torturing him or that they'd just straight imprisoned him or… turns out, I needn't have worried. He came back this afternoon and totally bought their story, hook line and sinker. And when I told him it was all propaganda, all lies, he believed me. He understood, and he trusted me. Then he looked me in the eye and asked me to help him with genocide. He believed me, but he still was willing to obey the Phoenix to save his magic." Derek squeezed her shoulder, pulling her briefly closer, and she forced herself to keep talking, not to break down and cry again.

"I couldn't stay. I just couldn't. I was terrified for him. I was so worried. But it was all pointless because he just… he just rolled over. Because they threatened his magic. His MAGIC. Not even his life. They didn't have to torture him, or threaten his family or anything." She took a deep breath and let it back out, then sat forward so she could see her cousin. "When he got back, I was so relieved. And I begged him to tell me the Phoenix's history. I tried so hard to line up what he said with what I'd researched. But it just didn't fit. It didn't. I hoped he was right. For just a moment, I wanted him to be right, even if it meant that what we'd written was horrible and wretched and… I wanted it for him. But it doesn't matter. We were right, we were right all along. We were right to help the Naga and we found a way to do it that still protects wizards and secrecy. We did it. Together. The two of us. It will save lives! And he wants to throw it all away. The Naga, all our work… I wanted to slap him. I wanted to scream at him, shake him, strike him. But I knew I couldn't. I had to get away. I had to see you. Please, please, help me. I don't… I don't want him to die but I can't stand to even think about him!"

Derek was watching her closely, reading her, gauging her distress. He didn't offer empty platitudes. He didn't try to sooth or quiet her or even question all the facts she had just spilled into his lap and she felt something in her chest tighten to the point of pain. This is why she came to him, and not her father or her mother. Derek would never push to test the depth of her anguish. He'd never tell her it was okay when something was clearly wrong. He'd never speak before he was ready, and he always knew when she needed to say a little bit more.

So Derek held her, and waited. And she found herself curling back around him, still wrapped in his one-armed hold. For this, she couldn't look him in the eye. He'd hear her expression anyway, and she was scared to see his.

"It's so stupid, but, well, look… I'm horrified about the Naga. And I'm shocked and stunned and I could hardly breathe when he was standing there ignoring them. And yes, I'm struck by that cruelty. But I'm also angry—really, really angry and it's got nothing to do with the Naga. Not really. It's the fact that this bill is _mine_. At least as much mine as it is Potter and Malfoy. I took the ideas and wrote them. I eavesdropped and interviewed and pulled it all together. And I stuck my neck on the line to present it to the whole common room. Edward said it would never work. Albus thought it would work for good of the bill but that I was sacrificing—shooting myself in the foot. But I didn't. I knew I could do it, and I did.

"Everyone sees me now. At first, it was just the bill they were taking seriously, but the more they talk to me the more they really, really accept me. It feels good. Really good. As good as winning Berkley just before walking away from Congress. And if Scorpius tanks this bill, it will cost me everything. I'll be back to being nothing, just one more Ravenclaw without friends. I won't even have Catherine. Not that I've missed her, we're just too different and she was giving me really bad advice, but at least I had someone. Sort of. Occasionally. But now… I put everything into this bill. Stayed up late, written only the shortest of letters home. And I'm furious that he's spitting on that. How messed up is that? The Naga are being persecuted. It will mean the extinction of their people if they don't get help. And I care that I fell in love with a spineless politician."

There was an instant, where Dianne realized what she'd just said. "I love him. Or I could have loved him. I was definitely falling in love. Little things. Little steps. We were coming so far. I felt like I belonged. I was such an idiot."

Derek allowed another long time of silence, allowed her to halt the last of the silent tears that she did not want to shed. But he knew that she had run out of truths, and once she had steadied her breathing he pulled her tighter for a long moment, and then finally spoke.

"I'm sorry, Di."

"Help me, Derek. I don't know how to see straight. I can't even think, right now. I can't… I need your help. Should I talk to my parents? Should I go to a professor? To an Auror? Help me make the right decisions."

"Okay. I'm with you. Are you sure you want me? There's no one else who could be better?"

"You were right about Richard and the Obliviation. And everything you said that night in the garden. You said it, you were right to say it, and it was important. You always tell me the truth. And you're so grounded. I trust you."

"You should trust yourself a little more." She didn't bother to answer that, thinking of everything that had happened during the three weeks of Christmas, and of her fight with Catherine which now seemed petty. "You made some bad decisions this Christmas. Granted. And you were severely reprimanded, especially by yourself once you saw the issues. But you're overcorrecting, Dianne. You have good instincts and you put in the work to back that up with good research. You have a good heart and good intentions. There are some decisions you have to make for yourself, both by right and responsibility. I'll help you, but they are your decisions. I know you can do this."

"Okay."

"What is the most pressing issue?"

"The Naga."

"Alright. So what can you do to help them?"

"Very little without Scorpius! He's the only authority I have. I can try to adopt a pseudonym to write to the papers with and I can support Albus, but if Scorpius switches now, it's worse than if he hadn't done anything! He'll plant doubts and turn this into a scandal—a circus!"

"So, is there anything you can do to stop Scorpius from flipping? Don't think of him as your intended—think of him as any other politician. What would it take for him to ignore the phoenix?"

"He won't. He has to be their representative or he'll lose his magic. He won't risk that."

Derek was thoughtful for a long time, and Dianne felt what she had said settle at the pit of her stomach. If the Phoenix someday told Scorpius to dump her—if they somehow shut off the Veela Mating or whatever—would he do exactly that? She balked away from the thought, and focused on what Derek was saying.

"Is that his oath? To be their representative?"

"That's how he always puts it. Why?"

"I'm currently taking a class in ideal republican governments—representative governments. The key being representative. The elected officials represent the interests of their people but they don't just parrot their opinions. They're charged with doing whatever is best for their people specifically and what's best for the country as a whole. They're supposed to use their best judgment, not just blindly follow the referendum of their constituents."

"So if I can prove that representation means the same thing in the wizarding world, I'm halfway there. I prove that it's in the best interests of wizard kind, and the best interests of the Phoenix, and then he not only shouldn't flip, he can't."

"Can it be done?"

"I don't see an alternative. And we don't have a lot of time. I shouldn't be here, but I can't face him."

"Is there anything you can do from here?"

"I need to clear my head. Maybe do a little research on the Muggle side of things, just to double check my facts and compare with the wizard history."

"Then we'll go down to the public library in a moment." Derek stared at her, weighing her mood and Dianne allowed it, meeting his gaze. She had chosen to come to Derek instead of to her parents or anyone else, and she felt it was the right decision. But it made it even more important that she was completely honest with him and listened to his advice.

"What will you do if you can't forgive him?"

"I don't know."

"You know that it could—might—kill him?"

"I know. But I can't live with a murderer. And even if we succeed, even if he jumps for joy when I offer him this alternative, it will not change the fact that he was willing to help destroy an entire _species_ of intelligent beings to save his magic."

"I understand. One of the first things I told Scorpius was that you could not, even if you wished it, love a coward. It was just after we had returned from the Obliviation with Richard. Scorpius couldn't understand why I didn't apologize to you. I explained that I wasn't sorry, you wouldn't believe me if I told you I was, and if you did you would not respect me for it. It's one thing to recognize and apologize for a mistake of course, but to apologize for something you still feel to be correct is foolish and dishonest. He was so terrified of loosing you that he was ready to do nearly anything to get you to forgive him and get past the whole thing. Frankly, I'm very surprised that he even brought the Obliviators after the temper tantrum you threw."

"I'm not. Scorpius followed you a lot, there at first. He knew that you and I were close—anyone can see that—and so I think he was subconsciously trying to imitate you. He dressed like you, walked like you, and followed your lead in nearly everything. If there had been a split in the family, I think he would have sided with me. But he was too weak to put up a real temper in my defense and you and everyone else were all agreed. He didn't say much after the initial suggestion anyway."

"You've thought about this a lot."

"He jumps down Albus' throat if he's too sarcastic with me, even though with Albus, sarcasm is a sign of friendship and approval. Yet Scorpius, despite being his friend for seven years, always takes him too seriously. It made me wonder why he didn't physically attack your father when he said what he did. You've heard my theory."

"He's that defensive?"

"Yes. It's annoying, and endearing, and annoying for being endearing. And now it feels really controlling, even though I know that's not true." Derek was silent for another long minute.

"Right now, a lot of things are going to look worse than they are in real life. You're hurt, you're angry, and you're scared. I am very proud that you are trying to recognize what is a product of being hurt and what is real, but don't overcorrect. Don't set aside your hurt. You have a right to be angry with him. If we could fix that Naga without him, I would suggest that we do so."

"I know. Thank you."

"Any time, you know that. No matter what."

* * *

><p>Katie Weasley went looking for Scorpius as soon as she returned from escorting Dianne to Hogsmeade. She still wasn't completely sure that it was the right decision, but Dianne seemed to know what she was talking about, and she would rather have a way to follow her than force the incredibly resourceful Ravenclaw to sneak out on her own, which had obviously been her plan. She used a tracking charm to locate Scorpius in an empty classroom near the library. He was sitting on the teacher's stool, staring at the empty seat across from him, hands hanging limply in his lap, completely frozen.<p>

Katie approached slowly, aware that the Veela could be very fragile, but that it was more risky to leave him alone. Scorpius didn't look up until Katie was within a few feet of him.

"She's gone. She left and she's gone. I didn't follow her. I can't… she's gone."

"She hasn't rejected you." When it came to their attention that Scorpius was an active Veela she had gathered what little information there was to be had, in case of an emergency. The first priority was always to establish some hope in the Veela that their Mate was safe and was not rejecting them.

"She's gone. I don't deserve her." Katie wasn't sure what he meant, if he even meant it at all, so she ignored that comment and focused on what reassurance she could offer.

"She came to me, saying that she wanted to help you. She wouldn't do that if she had rejected you, so clearly she has not." Not exactly true, but that was the story she would put on the official records if everything worked out the way she hoped it would, and it was the story Scorpius needed to hear now. "She is coming back."

"Where is she?"

Should she tell the truth? How much of it? "She wanted her cousin's advice."

"Derek?"

"Yes." Malfoy didn't relax, but he did move a little, shifting his seat slightly, and he let out a deep breath that was not quite a sigh.

"I would have gone with her. She's gone."

"She will come back, Mr. Malfoy."

"But she isn't here."

"It's going to be alright. She hasn't rejected you."

It went on like that for over an hour. Scorpius didn't seem to be destructive—which was the only reason she felt it more important to stay with him than to try to contact his parents—but he wasn't making any progress either, seeming unable to move beyond his mate's absence. At 11:35—barely past the start of lunch—Edward Greengrass and Albus Potter entered the classroom, ignoring her completely once they saw Scorpius.

"What happened? Where have you been?" When Scorpius lifted his head to look at them, Edward amended his questions to, "Are you alright?"

Albus, however, seemed to see the real issue immediately. "Where is Dianne?"

"She's gone. She's visiting Derek. She left."

Edward looked outraged, but Albus seemed to realize that Scorpius meant it only in the physical sense, as it was impossible for him to have survived Dianne leaving the relationship.

"Seems like an odd time for a family reunion."

"She needs his help."

"What for?"

Scorpius didn't look at Edward, who had asked the question, but at Albus. His face shifted slightly, just a touch away from his own absolute misery, but didn't seem happier. Katie forced herself to stand by and observe. So long as his friends didn't make things worse, they would serve as a good distraction.

"Things… are not as they have seemed."

"Well, I've obviously never met him, but you've described Derek Reed as being upright, perceptive, and even-tempered. Is there any reason not to trust that he'll help Dianne?"

"No."

"Then let us help you. What can we do?"

"It's not what it seems." Katie almost spoke up, wanting to avoid letting Scorpius get stuck on another useless concept, but Edward seemed to see the danger and stepped around it.

"Can you explain the truth to us?"

Scorpius shook his head miserably. "I have an oath. I can't tell you. When Dianne gets back, she can explain. The oath does not include her."

"Alright. In the meantime, what can we do? Even if you can't tell us why, what can we do?" Scorpius, for the first time since she'd seen him that day, actually appeared to think about the answer to a question.

"We need to go to the library."

"Library it is then." Even so saying, Albus had to physically lift Scorpius out of his seat and herd him into the library. All 3 moved immediately to a table in the back of the second floor, and Katie hung around as they started pulling out books at Scorpius' directions. Once she was sure that he wasn't in immediate danger of a relapse, she stopped by the front desk to ask Cho to keep an eye on the situation, and to grant them access to anything they needed.

She considered going to the hospital wing, or taking the issue to Flitwick. But the fact of the matter was that Scorpius wasn't violent, and any official record would make its way back to Draco Malfoy. While Malfoy did have right to know what was happening with his son, his reaction was unlikely to improve relations with Dianne, which was the true issue at hand. So, Katie decided, perhaps it was best to just wait and see where the day would take them.

* * *

><p>Scorpius wasn't sure that he believed Weasley. It didn't make any sense for Dianne to come back. He had proven that he was a coward, that he was weak, that he didn't deserve her. There didn't seem to be much reason for her to return. But Weasley was sure that Dianne was coming back.<p>

He tried to hold on to that thought, because it was the only thought he was capable of hearing for any real length of time over the steady thrum of _she's gone, she's gone, she's gone, she's gone_ that had taken up residence in the back of his thoughts. If she was coming back, (she's gone) it wouldn't be for him, (but she'd be back) it would be for the sake of the Naga (she left, she's gone).

He needed to know more about the Naga. He had to know whether or not they could be trusted, because Dianne (who was gone) had allied herself quite publically with their interests (before she left). If they were what the Phoenix had claimed (but Dianne was never wrong), she would be in grave danger from the Naga. If the Phoenix were wrong, or if they were deliberately lying (he was too cowardly to deserve her), there was still significant danger from the Phoenix wrath.

"According to this source, the famine began in the summer after Garunda arrived at the king's court." Albus skimmed the text in front of him, helping to reconstruct a picture he didn't know. If Dianne were here (but she wasn't) she could have just repeated it for him, but since she had left (he didn't deserve her yet) they would have to manage alone. (**impossible.**) "It says that after ten days of sacred fire, the King ordered the freshest grain from the royal fields to be brought straight from harvest to be admired. It was already past ripe, despite being early in the season. To spare the embarrassment, the courtiers travelled to the house of a nearby nobleman, but his grain was also past the proper age. Panic spread, and the king ordered the fires fed more vigorously in order to save the fields. It didn't work."

This wasn't the first source that agreed with Dianne (she's gone) and threw doubt on the account from the Phoenix (she was in danger). She had been as thorough as she always was, and Scorpius forced himself to focus on re-tracing her footsteps. It was a little bit like being right behind her, except not. (she's gone.)

"Cousin, this says that… well, I'd better read it. 'Long has the symbolic nature of fire been associated with the light. Fire is said to cleanse, to burn off impurity, to recreate and to be the essence of life itself. The Phoenix is called the 'omen of light' and the elemental Lord Phyros was called the 'Light to all of America'. Yet we must examine this again. Is a dragon not a creature of fire? Is there any creature more known for its fierce nature, uncaring greed, and cruel cunning? Is not Fiendfyre the most uncontrollable, hungry, and deadly of curses? Was it not fire which burned its way across the south under the hand of Sherman, called the worst of all American Dark Lords? Fire heightens tempers, drives on pride and singes the sensible. Look, then, rather to water, which cleanses all impurities gently, without destruction, and brings life whevever it travels. See how plants seek this spring of goodness, examine the beauty of the oceans and remember that all healing spells are born on shorelines. Then judge for yourself which is the true element of the best within all of us who are sentient.' It goes on like this for 20 more pages… examples, analysis of the examples, rituals, history, even an Arithmetic proof."

"Is that helpful?" Albus asked, and Scorpius forced himself to acknowledge that yes, it was helpful, and yes, that mattered, because Dianne was coming back, and went she did, he needed to know enough to know who he was protecting her from. (Maybe, he could start to deserve her.)

* * *

><p>Phillip Vega knocked at the door as calmly as possible, watching the street out of the corner of his left eye. While he technically hadn't been forbidden from his course of action, he knew that his support was wearing thin, and that if he was discovered there would be no one to help him. He was so focused on the possibility of an invisible watcher that he nearly jumped when the door opened, and it took him a moment to remember to smile at the short, middle-aged woman who had answered his knock.<p>

"Mrs. Helen Reed? My name is Phillip Vega. May I come in?" Her face registered caution, then recognition and surprise. She hesitated a moment, glancing over her shoulder, then opened the door wide enough to let him in.

"Of course. My husband is in the dining room, just down the hall, won't you join us? Dianne is at Hogwarts." It was an awkward introduction, and she didn't offer to relieve him of his winter things. Not that Vega cared particularly—he could feel neither heat nor cold—but it was important to be aware of her state of mind. The hall was modest in comparison to the opulence of the wizards he had been living amongst, but quietly regal by mundane standards. He could sense the residual magic in the home, surprisingly strong given Dianne Reed's reputation, and particularly gathered about the matron now following behind him. He had considered the possibility, and it would only help his position, but the circumstances were nevertheless unexpected.

Henry Reed stood as Phillip Vega entered the room, holding out his hand for a greeting, then gesturing to the empty chair on his left. Helen Reed had already slipped into the kitchen, retrieved a warm kettle and an additional tea cup, and returned by the time that Phillip Vega managed to smile, introduce himself again, and take a seat.

"Lemon, honey?" Helen Reed offered, and it took Phillip Vega a moment to realize she was speaking to him. Wizarding society had muted his sense of common propriety.

"Neither, Madam, thank you." There was a beat of silence as he accepted the steaming cup and saucer from her and she sat on her husband's right, and then Phillip Vega spoke, carefully controlling the tone and direction of the conversation. "I don't suppose Dianne has mentioned me to you?" It was with effort that he remembered to call her Dianne—the familiarity it implied could be taken the wrong way but he was gambling on a longer-range message. They both nodded, and it was Henry Reed who spoke.

"She met you at Scorpius Malfoy's Ball—said you recognized her from a Berkley tournament four years back. I understand you two exchanged a few letters possibly exploring a scholarship to University in Iceland?"

"Much more than a scholarship, Mr. Reed." That, too, had been pre-calculated, but being more similar to the wizards' address it was more natural to say. "I believe your daughter would make a powerful ally to my people, and I was hoping to offer her an opportunity to escape England."

"Escape?" The mother, Helen Reed. Now to draw the line in carefully.

"From their prejudice."

"You mean the Muggleborn/Mudblood ordeal. We heard of that this Christmas."

"You mean you didn't know of it before?" Just a slight layer of accusation, with worry overpowering. He needed to be their ally, but first he needed them to need an ally.

"Dianne never mentioned it."

"You didn't see it yourselves?"

"When would we have?" Henry Reed, stepping in, trying to bend the accusation back against Phillip Vega himself.

"You mean you haven't been to Hogwarts at all? I didn't realize the wizards had prohibited all visitations. I would have thought, with Dianne being in the Hospital Wing, your petition would have been able to clear the Board." It was bait, and there was no way that Helen Reed would even consider not taking it.

"What? Hospital? Whe…" she couldn't finish the thought, so Phillip Vega carefully sat back, watching them both carefully, as though he hadn't realized they hadn't known.

"You didn't know. I apologize. I shouldn't have dropped this on you without some warning; I didn't know they wouldn't have told you." He reached across the table carefully, just brushing the back of her hand. Not enough for her to feel that his skin was too cool, but enough that he would appeal to the human need for comfort. "Your daughter is fine now, she recovered better than expected. As I understand it, they were monitoring her constantly at the time and were prepared for the possibility of a collapse. She was never in critical danger, certainly not like she would have been a decade ago."

"Perhaps you had better start at the beginning, Mr. Vega. How exactly did you get access to my daughter's medical records?"

"Her case was part of the research given to my team two months ago, and it was the reason I approached her at the Ball. I am starting in the middle, and I understand you're concerned, but the beginning is actually a bit back. If I may, I will return to this question in a moment?"

Henry Reed nodded, eyes entirely focused on Phillip Vega, and he knew he would have to step carefully through the next bit. Helen Reed was entirely focused on her daughter, but it was obvious now that Dianne Reed had inherited her acumen from her father. Henry Reed would be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.

"I came here to clarify a few things that I had told Dianne. Some were blatant falsehoods meant to protect myself and others for whom I did not have the right to speak, others were false assumptions she made for herself that I did not correct. I told her that I am a politician from Iceland, working to reform our government and that I wanted her help. The truth is that I am a healer and politician from Japan, and we desperately need her help. She is sharp, brilliant even, and although her magic is weak there is significant evidence that it may be compatible with a very select sub-branch of Arithmancy. I came across her case in my occupation as a healer. We were—in fact, still are—attempting to save the life of another child and her case was forwarded to us as a possible model. I recognized her name vaguely, and then when I saw her picture in the news with the Malfoy boy I remembered her from the tournament in Berkley and knew that I had to speak with her.

"When I came across her file last spring, I had hoped to talk with her over the course of the coming two years, and be able to have this very conversation with you and her after her graduation. Unfortunately, circumstances have proven unfavorable." Henry Reed did not react to Philip Vega's revelations, and he carefully took note of Henry Reed's excellent control. There was a slight twitch in Henry Reed's right hand when he mentioned 'the Malfoy boy' and Philip Vega allowed himself a brief moment of satisfaction that he had judged the relationship correctly. There was no sign of worry at his subtle warning, however, so Philip Vega allowed himself a moment to dwell on the danger, the enemy, of his tale:

"She has put herself in the spotlight without any knowledge of the perils. She relies overmuch on the Malfoy heir for a security he will not always provide to her, and seems heedless of the extreme dangers she has already escaped. I had hoped to appeal to your better judgments and through your persuasion, to rescue her. I assumed they had given you some lie or justification—it did not occur to me you had been left in the dark completely."

"You see, the case study that first brought your daughter to my attention is very controversial. A team of wizards attempted to temporarily boost the disposable magic of patients who had harmed their cores. The goal was to initiate a completion healing similar to the after-effects of a magical transfer. Think of it as trying to boost the body's natural systems because no donor could be found. Sound in theory, but very difficult to execute. Magic isn't meant to be rushed, boosted, or stretched. There can be no strength without weakness, and the backlash of such procedures is often deadly. As I said, your daughter's case was handled better than most and she responded to the secondary treatments better than any other case we were shown. Regardless, the completion healing did not initiate as hoped.

"Even so, her medical file caught my attention. Dianne's reaction to the treatments was better than anything projected, and although the completion healing didn't follow automatically, all the symptoms suggested to me that she might be compatible with a specific branch of Arithmancy. When I approached the healers in charge of her case with my suggestion, they were extremely circumspect and said that because of the strain caused by their procedure, Dianne Reed and her family had refused all further treatments and had requested not to be contacted again. I was suspicious, because Dianne ought to still have been received follow-up care and when I dug deeper I saw that the treatment had been administered to her by the Hogwarts nurse at the end of the fifth year of education—a time when a desperate student might take great risks if it meant improving her scores.

"I fully intended to contact you all this summer, but was prevented from my efforts by political concerns. When I learned Dianne had been chosen as a Veela Mate I knew that I had to act. It was good fortune that made the help she can give us equal to the protection we can provide to her."

"I'm sorry, but I don't follow." Henry Reed interjected.

"I apologize, Mr. Reed. I am coming to the point. The reality is that your daughter could be a great asset to my people. We need youth of her caliber—smart, idealistic, strong, and personable—to help us move on an international level. We have been under threat for some time, culminating in the recent attack on our people through this nuclear disaster. This attack has forced us to move up our time tables, and have made us ever more desperate for people of your daughter's skills. Furthermore, we can be as useful to her as she would be to us. If my suspicions are correct, your daughter is in grave danger. The Veela Mate bond between her and the Malfoy heir is currently feeding off her magical core at levels that, I suspect from her case file, she is not able to support. Perhaps it wasn't noticeable at first, when she wasn't expending any magic, and it might not be seen right away at Hogwarts where there is residual magic to support them both, but make no mistake: Malfoy is slowly killing your daughter."

"That doesn't make the slightest bit of sense." Henry Reed interjected. "If the Veela are so parasitic, why was the school so eager to accommodate them?"

"It's usually not noticeable. Magic isn't all equal; you can think of it similar to amino acids. Some of the amino acids our bodies need can be made internally, others must be consumed. In normal wizards and witches, their bodies will produce enough magic in sufficient proportions to keep them healthy. They're stronger in some fields of magic than in others according to which amino acids they produce more of, but they produce everything they need. But the same can't be said of the Veela. As they mature, they lose the ability to produce one portion of magic. Thus they have developed instinct to lead them to wizards and witches with high magical thresholds who produce especially strong proportions of this missing portion. Malfoy chose your daughter erroneously, but not, I believe, maliciously. She has an incredible threshold—she must in order to be capable of the accidental magic described in the incident report. Further, strong healing magic is a typical result of being a strong producer of the _Vivet_ portion—the portion Veelas require." Henry Reed was still skeptical and did not seem to be persuaded by fear, sympathy, or medicine. Perhaps it was time to show a bit of skepticism of his own

"Please understand that I have only my own interpretation of facts. However, your home is saturated with this portion of magic. I believe that Dianne, consciously or not, has continued to perform undirected magic to support the health of anyone who lives here, but especially her mother. To manage this given the damage she has incurred would mean that she is producing very little of any of the other portions. The Veela instincts would have sensed both her high threshold and her dramatic overproduction of _Vivet_. It would not have accepted any other mate, having no instinctual realization that Dianne lacked the capacity to fulfill her threshold."

"And you think you can protect her?"

"The protection I can offer your daughter is many-fold. I mentioned the healing magics we have explored which others have managed. If we can fill your daughter's threshold even just once, it will give her core the rest it needs to heal, if not all of the initial damage at least most of the scar tissue that has developed since. I'm still speaking metaphorically, you understand. Beyond the simple healing, we can also offer her a career and future outside of the prejudice of England. We can extend protection if the Malfoy House attempts to pursue her, but if everything goes to plan, they won't know that she is slipping from them until it is already too late."

"And how do you intend to manage that? She and Scorpius were together every moment this holiday. I don't imagine they are less attached at school."

"I understand that although your daughter chose not to pursue a scholarship with us, she did apply to several Muggle Universities just before New Years?"

"That's right."

"I happen to be good friends with the Dean of Law at Oxford College. I would like to speak with him on Dianne's behalf, present to him anything she may have written recently. He is aware of the magical world, and will overlook her lack of records due to Hogwarts, especially once he hears that she was involved with this morning's resolution."

"Resolution?"

"Yes. Of course. You haven't heard of it?" This was surprising. Had Dianne not told her parents about her current activities? "This is the reason why I took the time to come here today, now. It simply could not wait any longer. My people, the Naga, are currently being prosecuted by the wizards and witches here in England. Your daughter, working with under the guise of House Malfoy, has drafted legislation attempting to help us." Attempting being the operative term, but it wouldn't do to criticize her at this moment.

"It is likely the best offer we will be able to get, certainly it provides more than anyone else has done yet. Unfortunately, in doing so, she has aligned herself with my people very publicly. She has opened herself to attack by all of our enemies, but we are prevented from offering her any protection until she seeks it from us. I believe it unlikely that Malfoy has even told her of the dangers. Perhaps he believes that he is capable of protecting her. But his father has been asking a lot of questions in the healing community focusing on artificial creations of the _Vivet_ portion of magic. I believe he intends to find an artificial source for his son. While this would spare Dianne the parasitic effect that is now killing her, it would also make her disposable to the Malfoys. Without their protection, or ours, and without an understanding of how badly she needs protection, she would not last long enough for us to recruit her directly. That is why I felt it necessary to come to you."

"Does such a source exist?"

"No. Not yet. And in the name of honesty I must say that Draco Malfoy himself isn't precisely sure of what he's looking for. As an expert in the field, I made the discovery of the exact nature of the Veela deficiency. I chose not to share it with the general medical population because I feared what they would do with it. Malfoy knows that he needs an artificial magic source, but not of what kind. That will slow him, but not forever."

"Can you give any estimate of when he might find such a source?"

"Three months ago I would have told you it would never exist. But since the nuclear fallout, this branch of magic is particularly has become particularly needed. This sort of research will take priority and due to the legislation drafted by your daughter, Malfoy is in a prime position to know of every advance. It could be a real threat in a few months."

"Is there anything else you wish to share with us?" Phillip Vega took a moment, just a brief moment, to weigh the expression on Henry Reed's face as he answered.

"I think you have all the relevant facts." Henry did not seem to have been swayed. Phillip Vega wasn't sure when he'd lost the patriarch, but now as he glanced toward Helen Reed for assistance he saw she was just as distant. That was unexpected.

"We appreciate your time, and the concern you have for our daughter. My wife and I will discuss this. Is there some way we can communicate our answer to you in, say, 48 hours?"

So they weren't lost, but simply reserved. He could work with that. "Of course. As it so happens my business here in London will keep me in the area for the foreseeable future. Whenever you are ready to talk, just give me a call." He slid his business card out of his coat pocket and set it in the middle of the table, then paused. "Do you have any further questions for me?"

"Not right now. If we do, we'll call. Thank you for your time." Henry Reed stood and extended his hand, and Phillip Vega stood to shake it.

"Whatever we can do for you."

The Reeds let him see himself out the door.

On the doorstep outside, Philip Vega allowed himself a moment of disappointment. This would have been much easier with the Reeds' support. It was possible that they would still come around—he'd have to arrange to meet them at St. Mungo's so they could check his status independently, which might help—but he could not afford to wait and see. It would only take one slip, less than an hour of Dianne Reed being unprotected by the Veela bond, for the Phoenix to find her.

Philip Vega would have to be constantly on-guard, and pray that he was fast enough to save her when that happened. Dianne Reed wasn't the only one capable of helping them, but she had already proven many times over that she was the best, most likely candidate.

Philip Vega did not wish to fail Dianne Reed.

-Chapter End. 8,500 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Posted on July 26, 2014.


	10. Powerless

**CHAPTER TEN: Powerless**

Albus noticed Scorpius' sudden alertness before he saw the reason for it. They had been settled at the table still reserved for them by Dianne, hidden from the general student population in case Scorpius freaked out. It was nearing the end of dinner, but Scorpius gave no indication of slowing. The first thing Scorpius had done was to retrieve books that he had previously shelved for Dianne, as well as others nearby that were dust-free and thus likely earlier targets of hers. After retracing her steps for some time—and discovering clues that seemed to mean more to Scorpius than they did to either Edward or Albus—Scorpius pulled out a large number of references about ritual magic and history. Albus wasn't sure, objectively speaking, that they'd achieved much, since Scorpius didn't seemed surprised by anything they had found, but it was keeping him occupied and that was more important than feeding him, so they worked through dinner without comment. When Dianne got back, he hoped she had a really good reason for leaving Scorpius behind.

It was Scorpius who noticed her return first, naturally, and as soon as she entered their alcove he went to her, holding her shoulders, running his hands over her arms, touching her face, generally trying to assure himself she was alright.

"Scorpius, I'm fine. I promise, really." She caught his hands in hers, holding them tightly and forcing him to be still. "I should have told you before I left, should have told you where I was going. I just went to Derek. He was in Spain, and I needed to talk to him. I took a Portkey, it was perfectly safe. Scorpius—" she seemed to see him and Edward for the first time. "We need to talk. Now. About… this morning. There are things you _need to know_. About the oath."

Scorpius was nodding, but didn't make any move to leave with her, despite the fact she'd taken half a step back. "I know. I can't tell them. But you can."

"Tell them, what, exactly?" Dianne seemed cautious, and slightly confused. She glanced between them and Scorpius, judging all the available reactions.

"Everything."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'll… here, let me put up some Family wards. Father's the only one who could override them." Scorpius had already drawn his wand and cast the necessary spells in silence. "They need to know, to understand."

"I'm not objecting, Scorpius. You know that I completely support generalizing this knowledge, especially among political allies. But are you certain you can stand here and watch me share this?"

"Yes. It can only help… them." For some reason that answer made Dianne nod, looking satisfied.

"Okay. Sit down." Scorpius sank immediately into the nearest seat, but Dianne did not draw up the chair next to him, instead remaining standing, although she did step up to the table they were sitting at. Something didn't seem right to Albus. Not just in the general confusion and mystery, but in Dianne's manner itself. It nagged him, but not enough to distract him from what Dianne was saying.

"How much do you two know about the hidden non-human representation that goes on in the Wizengamot?"

"You mean like the Potters and the Centaurs, before Grindelwald?" Edward clarified, and Albus nodded to show he also understood.

"Exactly like that." She glanced at Scorpius, and then looked back to them. "Since the time he was ten, Scorpius has been under oath to be a representative for the Phoenix in whatever capacity they require. Before this Christmas, that merely meant becoming a politician and keeping his eyes and ears open. This past weekend, however, he was ordered to undermine the very resolution we all wrote."

Albus felt himself stiffen, and he stared at his long-time friend, who hadn't look away from Dianne once yet and didn't do so even now. There was no sign that he felt the same punch in the stomach. If Scorpius was oath-bound to represent the opposition to their very first legislation, it would destroy them both. It would cost them clout here at Hogwarts, and most likely well beyond. Albus would survive the fallout, but not easily and House Malfoy – Draco Malfoy would likely never willingly seat Scorpius. This would not only undo their work, but make them all into fools as well.

On the other hand, Scorpius couldn't have undermined the Naga more if he'd been silent or even if he'd spoken out against them from the very beginning. Had it all been an act? And if it was, was killing this one proposal enough to justify eliminating any future possibility of political career?

Edward seemed to understand the issue as well, he certainly looked shocked enough, but evidently he was capable of speaking without screaming in betrayal. "Why write against an oath-bound interest?"

"I didn't know."

Scorpius sounded completely broken, and Dianne glanced at him again, but then looked back to the two of them, as though their reactions were the ones she needed to gage. "The Phoenix and the Naga have been in feuding since before Magic was fully settled—basically from the time they came into existence. Unfortunately, this isn't a well-known fact. For one thing, the Naga themselves have worked towards obscurity for centuries. For another, the history between them puts the Phoenix in a phenomenally bad light, in fact it's hard to justify their position at all, so they aren't eager to see it remembered either – not even their own twisted propaganda version of it. I found the facts by digging through Muggle legend and then cross-referencing with Wizarding history, magical theory, and even some poetry. Scorpius was told last night. I'll spare you all the details, because it gets pretty grisly. What matters is basically this: first, the Naga absolutely ARE the victims here, and this artifact of theirs has worked before, so we don't have to worry about long-term political fallout from skeletons in the closet being uncovered a few years from now. Second, the orders from the Phoenix don't change anything — Scorpius doesn't have to betray the resolution."

Scorpius didn't look relieved to hear this. In fact, he looked ill; his skin, which had been pale and waxy all day, had become nearly flaky-dry since Dianne had returned. If anything, it was worse than when she'd been away.

"Di, I can't give up my magic. I thought about it, and I tried but… I… I'm not strong enough for that."

There was a moment of tightness in her jaw when he used the nick-name, but she didn't seem surprised by the protest. "I know. You made that quite clear. But you only lose your magic if you break your oath. I don't believe that the oath requires you to turn on this resolution. And if I'm right, _flipping_ could actually be what costs you your magic."

"What are you talking about?" Edward demanded, which was good because Albus was still incapable of demanding anything. There was the sheer volume of information being thrown at them (and the awe that Dianne had apparently uncovered it all sometime in the last three days, completely under their noses, and was so confident in her research that she spoke of these histories as hard facts, which she refused to do for even well-documented occurrences of the last war). There was the emotional whiplash due to Scorpius' betrayal (however indirectly or unintentionally) followed by growing hope (because Dianne sure sounded confident in her unsaid solution). But there was also a part of him which was noticing weighty phrases and words such as "grisly" "twisted propaganda" "betray the resolution" and "cost". While it was possible she was simply overcompensating, it seemed like heavy rhetoric to use against political and personal allies, especially because it was cutting Scorpius the deepest. In fact, although it was Edward who demanded an explanation, it was Scorpius that Dianne pinned beneath her intense stare.

"Scorpius, would you agree that your oath to the Phoenix is to be their representative? To do your best to do what is in their best interest?"

"Yes. I have to represent their interests, and they've made their interests clear." He said it quietly, almost gently, but with just a hint of question that made it clear to Albus that they were all hoping that Dianne might be able to produce some miracle to change their present circumstance.

"Wrong. They've made their _wishes_ clear. They've made their _opinion_ clear. Their interests are another thing entirely! It is the duty of the representative of a people to do whatever is best for the people. That is only the same thing as following their wishes if the people have their own best interests at heart. And if there is one thing the Phoenix have proven throughout history, it is that they are nearly eager to choose the worst possible path for themselves. It is your duty, by oath, to serve the Phoenix and your duty as Heir Malfoy to serve wizard kind. Neither duty requires you to reject this resolution."

Scorpius was almost frantic with fear when he spoke again. "I can't just vote for my opinion!"

"Will you just SHUT UP and _listen to me_! _God_!"

Albus tried to remember if he'd ever heard Dianne shout before, but couldn't recall a time. Scorpius shrank back almost as violently as she'd spoken, but it had no effect on Dianne, who was now facing only Scorpius, loaming over him and gesturing wildly in anger.

"I spent all of today and most of yesterday in this mess. Derek and I dug through close to four thousand pages of both Muggle and magical history, politics, and philosophy to put this together for you. We have thought this through from every angle we could find between us. Would it kill you to simply listen? At least do me the courtesy to let me finish before you start criticizing! I admit that I might not have handled everything perfectly since we met, oh, 8 weeks ago. But have I ever, ever, in that time given you any reason to doubt my judgment? My logic? My mind? My conclusions based on available data? I have heard every political lecture that you cared to give to me, I have adjusted my understandings of every prejudice that I held, I even allowed you to Obliviate my uncle! Right now my entire world is on its head, and I am doing everything in my power to keep you from making the worst possible mistake of your life—the least you could do would be to _listen_ to what I have to say!" Scorpius was white as a sheet, just staring at her, and her gestures were jerky as though they were being torn from her body without being in her conscious control.

For a long moment there was simply silence, while Dianne breathed heavily. Then, she continued in a clipped tone that was trying and failing to resemble her usual control. "It is in the best interests of both parties that you represent—both Phoenix and wizards—for you to continue to pursue the resolution that we have written. The gains to the wizards are evident and explicitly stated in the resolution itself: primarily the chance to gain access to healing magic we had never before even considered possible. Furthermore, if this resolution fails the consequences may be rather dire. The Naga are desperate, and we have no idea of what magic they might do if we push them to the edge of extinction. As you have told me many times, wizards cannot afford another war at this point in our history.

"The interests of the Phoenix are less obvious. In fact, on the surface, they seem entirely disinterested in the whole affair. They have now expressed a _desire_ to use this opportunity to make trouble for the Naga. It is possible that such a desire might trigger the oath if there were no other factors in play. That point is debatable, since the simple satisfaction of a desire is not a particularly tangible benefit to the species, but let's lay the point aside for the moment and examine the potential cost of Phoenix intervention in Naga affairs. I contend that any attempt by the Phoenix to harm the Naga is both foolish and dangerous. Magic has shown she is more likely to become actively involved with the Phoenix than with _any other species_. They were formed directly from Magic in a feat which has never been matched except in the simultaneous creation of the Naga. Then, after the bet, Magic interfered to bind them. Third, She purposefully perpetuated their binding. She unbound them some time later in a fourth separate incident. And finally, after they tricked the Naga, they were magically restricted to their avian forms. That's five separate incidents between the Naga and the Phoenix that invoked Magical attention, and the only one that worked in their favor was when they were helping the Naga. There is no reason to believe that further attacks won't invoke further punishment. On the flip side, it is possible that Magic may lift the restrictions she has placed, if they reform sufficiently. Historically, that's what happened with both the Centaurs and with vampires and there's no reason to believe it won't happen again. The Phoenix might be able to regain their humanoid forms. More important is the risk they run by assaulting the Naga, which is surely not in their best interests." Albus blinked, wondering when it had become common knowledge that the Phoenix had a humanoid form sealed from them by Magic.

"Magic hasn't acted since the house-elves." It was Edward that made the interruption, which made Albus even more impressed with his processing speed because _he_ still felt like he'd been trampled by a threshal made of history and ridden by an avenging angel, but Dianne treated it as though it had been a choreographed part of her speech. Albus had never seen her so upset, or so viciously articulate.

"Yes—let's examine that circumstance, shall we? Magic intervened to save brownies when wizards were helping to save them from augureys. The brownies were turned to house elves and protected by Family magics and the augureys became little more than dumb birds haunting rainy skies. This is nearly exactly parallel to what has happened and is happening here. Magic has always favored the Naga. She's already bound the Phoenix to appear as animals. Perhaps this next betrayal will be sufficient to strike them completely witless as well! As the Phoenix representative it would be irresponsible for you to take the risk."

The logic was so beautiful, that it left them all in silence once again. Albus was mostly just stunned, all emotion driven out of him except for a sort of awful amazement at everything that had been said. It was enough to finally let him speak, and he was surprised to realize that although the oath had been bypassed and the resolution saved, there were still problems to be solved: "Even if Magic doesn't take his oath as broken, the Phoenix will. You'll have to be on guard constantly, possibly for the rest of your lives. So will Edward and I, for that matter, if they ever have any idea of what you've told us."

Dianne stared at him for a long moment, that same muscle in her jaw drawn tight. It was a tell he had never seen in her before, and he had no idea what it meant now. Finally, she answered him in a cold voice that gave him no hints to her thoughts. "That is, of course, one cost of hidden representation. I can't make that decision for you. In some ways, everything is already done. All I can say is that

Derek and I did our homework. We didn't know there was a magical portion to the public library when we went in, but when I saw books he couldn't we combed that place top to bottom and got all three librarians involved too. The Naga are innocent of black magic. Their healing magics are at least as good as rumored, perhaps even better. I will do whatever it is in my power to help the Naga, and if you'd like to walk you through every scrap of research—"

"That won't be necessary." Albus glanced at Edward, because while the reassurance was true, his tone was harsh rather than agreeing, and found the answer to his unspoken question was waiting in the corner of his eye to be noticed.

Scorpius was completely white, and he was trembling now, still staring at Dianne. After a long moment, she suddenly pulled out the chair across from him and sat down in it facing him. To Albus's surprise, he did not immediately reach out to touch her, and it was another very long moment before she picked up one of his hands in both of hers.

Scorpius let out a shaky breath that was almost a sob, and he didn't stop trembling for nearly a minute. During that time, Dianne's jaw remained tight, and Albus noticed that her breathing seemed to be almost perfectly even. When his hands finally stilled, she very quietly said, "Thank you for allowing me to speak. It was wrong of me to lose control and shout at you. I'm sorry for losing my temper. If you have something to say, I'm listening, now."

Scorpius was quiet for a long moment, then asked very timidly, "Do you think the Phoenix caused this?"

She seemed surprised that he had questions instead of objections, but she answered him levelly. "I think it's possible, but that we'll never know."

Scorpius was staring at Dianne, who was staring at their hands. "Do you really believe Magic will reward the Phoenix if I help the Naga?"

"Unless there are factors the Phoenix have not told you, I believe they gain nothing from the Naga's demise and risk quite a bit by trying to bring it about, the least of which is undermining your usefulness to them. The history they gave you simply doesn't match the facts it can be verified against. Given the full information that I have, I cannot see any advantage that could outweigh the possible harms."

"Why did you go to Derek?"

There was a very long moment during which Dianne stared at their joined hands, then she looked up and they studied each other for a few seconds. "I didn't want to do something I would come to regret. I trusted his judgment more than my own."

"And what was his judgment?"

"That I must trust myself. My mistakes are mine to make, and mine to overcome. Some actions and paths I must judge for myself. Love is about forgivable imperfections."

"Were you upset with me?" Albus took a deep breath, but Scorpius was starting to regain his color, and they were still studying each other, so he didn't intervene even as Dianne said without hesitating:

"Very."

"Because I wouldn't break my oath."

She didn't answer him immediately. He almost thought she wasn't going to answer at all. Then she said, "Because I couldn't even comprehend the actions which you were asking me to help you commit."

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"You are hurting." And suddenly Dianne dropped her head again, and her shoulders shuddered. It wasn't until Scorpius lurched out of his chair, tried to get closer to her—to hold her, to comfort her— that Albus realized she was crying silently.

It was over almost before he had really processed it though, Dianne gently pushing Scorpius back toward his chair, one hand still entwined in his, the other wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robe, though they continued to fill slowly. "I'm fine, Scorpius."

"You're not."

"Alright, I'm not. But I don't want to be held right now." But things were starting to make sense to Albus, and he suddenly wondered if she just didn't want to be held by _Scorpius_.

"Please forgive me."

"You don't know what you're asking for." Before he could protest, she continued, her free hand again taking his. "It doesn't matter. I am already doing my best to forgive everything which is between us."

"How did you know I would apologize?"

"_Healing_ requires remorse, Scorpius. Forgiveness does not. That is, actually, rather the point of it. I let go of everything I could and forgave you before I came back. No matter what you said here."

"Yet you're not calling me Zee." She looked away, guilty or nervous or both, hands still holding his, but more limply now.

"What do you want from me? You were ready to throw away everything, _everything_, for your magic. Turning on this bill meant turning on the Naga, who are dying, and might die out completely without our help. You knew that. In fact, it's for that motive that the Phoenix told you to do it. And you were willing to walk away from an entire people, walk away from a resolution that we built together, a resolution that represented everything we believed was right and necessary. Everything we put into it, everything we put into each other, and you just…" she looked back at him, but something in her face made Albus wonder if she was really seeing him. "I'm not rejecting you, Scorpius. I'm still wearing your ring and I'm still your intended. I want to make this work. But this hurts, Scorpius. It hurts deep. I feel betrayed and lost and powerless and forgiving _that_ isn't easy. Even after I forgive, it doesn't just go away. I know you need me, and we'll spend the rest of tonight together, but I need some time apart. Once you're feeling better, I need some space to figure this out and try to decide where to go from here.

"I _am_ your intended, I wear your ring, and I will still be wearing it tomorrow. But right now, I just can't call you Zee. I would apologize, and I _am_ sorry for hurting you, but I'm _not_ sorry for speaking the truth. I will do what I believe to be right, Scorpius, no matter what it costs me."

* * *

><p>Scorpius didn't sleep that night. Point of fact, he didn't even lie down. (He wondered if Dianne would sleep tonight.) He knew it would be useless to try. Instead, he paced the length of the dorm room under the watchful eye of first Albus, and then Edward as his two friends slept in shifts. He knew, in some removed way, that they were concerned about his state of mind. (Pointless—Dianne had clearly stated that she wanted to "make this work".)<p>

But Scorpius didn't feel the helplessness that had defined his previous descents towards death. He was physically weak, and he was coherent enough to know that his thoughts weren't as fluid as they ought to be. He could feel the nausea that would make eating impossible and turn to cramps by the next evening. But these felt distant somehow—like he was seeing his own body from the other side of a shimmering shield charm.

He had already realized, before she explained herself, that she had good reason for leaving (she had come back). In his depression, he had understood quite clearly the cowardice of his own actions. (Dianne will never love a coward.) And although he was more clear-headed now, he couldn't see his capitulation to the Phoenix in any more charitable light. He had faced a true dilemma, hard pressure, for perhaps the third or fourth time in his life and he had folded before it. As he always did.

But it was one thing to falter as a child faced with adult politics and vows as he had when he was only ten years old—a child never exposed to any other way of thinking. It was one thing to degenerate as his very life force drained out of himself in search of his mate—perhaps no longer a child, but influenced by factors beyond his own control. Those were not cowardice. These instances were simply… fact. weakness. Not ideal, but not his fault either.

Deciding to destroy the bill had been a conscious decision dictated entirely by his own fear. Fear of losing his magic, yes, and everything that it would entail—his family, Hogwarts, his future, his purpose—but also fear of the vulnerability. Fearing the inability to protect himself (protect Dianne). He hadn't looked for other ways out. He hadn't considered that there might be options. He had just fled from the Phoenix and back to Dianne and laid his burden on her shoulders.

Dianne had taken that burden and saved him from the weight of guilt and fear. But it had hurt her. (He had hurt her.) He never wanted to do that again.

Not just because he wanted to spare Dianne from pain (but yes, that, always that.) It was more though. It was the same thing he'd realized that morning. She made him want to be someone better. Not just because it would make her happy, but because he wanted to be a man worthy of her. She deserved the best. She was vibrant and strong, creative, assertive, passionate, and honorable. She made him want to be… more. More analytical. More compassionate. More certain of what was right and what was wrong.

And so he paced up and down the row between the green beds, thinking.

He could do as she had proposed. Of course he would, (he was already doing it). He had basically already broken the spirit of his vow to the Phoenix as they would see it—first by telling Dianne the secret without requiring her oath and then by witnessing her sharing the secret with his allies. But both of those actions had ultimately been to the good of the Phoenix, and he still had complete control over his magic. So Dianne was probably right. (Of course she was.)

But changing, becoming more, would mean much more than just doing as he was told.

He needed to purpose himself to his goal. He had already seen the ways in which Dianne was changing herself in the aftermath of Derek's reprimand. She had accepted the Obliviation of her uncle. She was improving her control of her temper. She'd removed the poisonous influence of Catherine Richards' friendship and she'd basically dropped the idea of Vega entirely. She'd poured herself into the politics of Slytherin House and their resolution. She'd considered unpleasant realities and worked within the existing constraints of the system.

So what could he do?

He needed to read a great deal more, both histories biased by non-wizard authors and some of the most important Muggle philosophy. He needed to establish more genuine relationships with his peer group. He needed to separate the world view preached by his father from the truths it contained, and discover for himself what was good and true in their culture.

It wasn't lost on Scorpius that his father's teachings had to be at the very least incomplete. According to the theories he'd grown up with, Dianne ought to have been impossible. She was well-read, beautiful, quick-witted, mature, and nearly magic-less. (But not lesser, never lesser.) He knew his father would brush it off as a result of her childhood trauma. And maybe it was. But it wasn't just Dianne who was remarkable. Derek was impressive as well, and both of her parents had been more than a match for his during their few shared dinners that holiday.

It was too soon to know the truth, but clearly magic wasn't a perfect indicator of quality, and if Dianne had been 'supposed' to be powerful, then blood wasn't a good indicator of magic as he'd been told.

Scorpius didn't notice when Albus finally woke Edward to take over the watching duty, and he wouldn't have noticed morning if Edward hadn't pointed it out to him. He showered quickly and headed to breakfast, eager to see Dianne and settle her mind.

It didn't go quite as he envisioned.

Dianne was already seated at the Slytherin table between Ackerley and Rosier when he approached, and though she looked up and nodded a greeting, she made no indication that he was welcome to join her. He settled in the nearest empty seat, beyond arms reach (what if something happened, what if there was an unforeseen danger) and was immediately approached by McMillan and Davies.

"I heard you presented to your Houses last night."

Scorpius glanced away from Dianne just long enough to know that it was Davies who asked. "Yes. Both House Potter and Malfoy will support the resolution to the floor as written."

"Congratulations." McMillan had settled herself on the seat opposite him, and Davies beside her. "I never did get a chance to hear the details. Care to pitch it to me?"

Scorpius looked at McMillan for just a moment, noting absently that Albus and Edward had grabbed the nearest available seating and someone had put food in front of him. When he turned back to Dianne, she was just glancing away. "I find it hard to believe you would still be ignorant after nearly a week and a half of discussion has already passed."

That earned him a subtle elbowing from Albus, but Scorpius didn't look at him. He didn't want to miss Dianne's gaze again. Albus seemed to sense a losing battle, because he took over the conversation.

"You'll forgive Heir Malfoy. He has been feeling poorly since this past Saturday. The resolution is set out in three main parts. First, to offer aid to the Naga here, on English soil. This includes immediate shelter, food, and medical provisions as well as a small sum for additional medicinal research. Second, the resolution provides for a private committee to be appointed to hear the concerns of the Naga in the place of the Wizengamot. This will allow them a venue to address their concerns in more detail. This committee will determine what if anything can be done to salvage the situation in Japan without compromising the Statute of Secrecy as well as hear anything else the Naga wish brought to our attention. Finally, this committee will address the third goal of the resolution: to investigate the artifact left in our care and the ritual which they intend to use it in. They will determine the nature of the magic involved, allow or disallow its use based on those findings and look for a substitute if necessary."

"And this has the support of both your Houses?"

"That is correct. Our Houses, and a number of allies as well. It is too soon to count the votes specifically, but I would not be surprised to see the actual tally take place as early as this Friday."

"How did you get your fathers to work together?"

"Neither is so proud that they couldn't read the pages before them. Once read, the legislation truly speaks for itself."

"I don't suppose you have a copy on hand?"

"I believe my year-mate does. Scorpius?"

Scorpius was listening, really, but Dianne hadn't looked back at him yet, and it was hard to focus on anything except hearing what she was saying to Rosier, which was proving impossible in the loud hall, since she was facing away from him. He nudged his bag closer to Albus without diverting his attention, and then scowled when his friend leaned into his line of view to open and dig though the book-bag. As soon as he turned his focus, Edward elbowed him from the other side and gestured as subtly as possible to his plate.

Scorpius knew that he should eat, but the reality was that the ache in his gut had nothing to do with hunger and he really couldn't care to split his attention to unimportant details. A Ravenclaw girl that Scorpius didn't recognize had approached Dianne, and after a few more sentences to Rosier she rose and the two of them left the Great Hall together.

Dianne met his eyes on the way out of the room, but she didn't slow as she past him and she didn't brush her fingers along his shoulder like she usually did.

It was a long, unimportant wait through breakfast, Transfiguration, and Potions until he saw Dianne again. He left the dungeons at nearly a dead run and was one of the first people to the Great Hall. He beat Dianne there, and claimed two seats about a third of the way down the table, waiting for her. Albus and Edward arrived with the rest of their class. The Hall slowly filled. He recognized one of the Slytherins who was taking Arithmancy with Dianne and stood to go looking for her. If her class was out, she should be here.

She entered the dining hall as Edward stood from his seat, and Scorpius immediately walked toward her, ignoring his trailing cousin. She continued walking toward the Ravenclaw table, and seated herself just before he reached her. The group of fellow Ravenclaws she was with sat around her leaving no room, but Scorpius was nearly beyond noticing. When he reached them, she was speaking.

"Obviously Riemann sums won't be sufficient for the final proof. But it only makes sense for us to at least run a few and make sure the model is on the right track. Even if we hit within 20% margin, I'll back down. It's just that this doesn't feel like second order growth to me."

"What else could it be?"

"I think we're dealing with an exponential. It makes sense. I know there's no evidence of decay, but you have to admit that there are suggestions of asymptotic behavior. At the very least, the Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Elemental Laws of Transfiguration tell us that there is some upper bound to the range."

"We aren't dealing with any of the excep—"

"—Dianne."

She turned casually, without startling, but also without any eagerness. "Hello Scorpius. Was there something you needed?" The question was entirely polite, but it was enough to close his throat up. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to reach out to her, to have her reach back to him, to offer touch and comfort. Instead, she looked at him with blank curiosity, as though there was nothing between them. Edward spoke into the silence that he left.

"We understood you were going to picnic with us by the lake today."

There had been no such arrangement.

"I apologize." (I'll play along and let you save face) "I should have let you know." (but I'm not actually sorry) "We were given the final parameterization for our mid-semester Arithmancy project today and assigned into our teams. I'll be working with my Housemates this afternoon." (I won't be seeing you) "We need to establish our first models as soon as possible. I'll see you this evening in the common room." (don't come looking for me again)

Scorpius felt Edward's hand close around his upper arm, the support mostly hidden by their robes. He didn't hear how his cousin dismissed them. He did see Dianne nod and turn away. He felt himself be steered out of the Great Hall and was glad when the nauseating smells ceased.

Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Dianne was not-here. Dianne was potentially in danger. He was not-there to save her if she was. She probably wasn't, but she might be.

History of Magic.

Dianne was upset. Dianne was hurt. Dianne was betrayed-aching-crying-masking-wounded-distressed-angry-worried-hurting. Because of him. Because he couldn't be what he wanted and she needed him to be.

Common Room. Whispers.

He knew, distantly, that people were starting to notice. Two meals apart wasn't completely unusual, and Dianne had been civil with him in public. But it was now just two hours before curfew, they hadn't been seen at all over the weekend and he knew he was starting to look pretty bad. He felt pretty bad.

Fortunately, none of them would guess at what had happened.

He sensed her coming, so badly was he longing for her, so that he was already half way to the common room door when she knocked on the stone. He slid out, barely registering his two friends behind him, and nearly ran into her as she tried to enter through what she thought would be an open doorway. He caught himself, hands on her shoulders, and quickly ran both of his palms down her arms.

She was here. She was safe, unharmed. She had come.

She still smelled cautious, reserved, as she probably had at lunch though there were too many around to be certain and now she smelled tired too. But there was no trace of fear-scent, or rage-scent, so nothing had happened to her while they were apart.

"Di."

"Scorpius." She stepped back, out of his gentle hold, and he had to force himself not to step forward and follow her retreat. She studied him for a while, searching for something in his expression. "We need to talk."

"Of course." She nodded, seeming to have expected this answer.

"I'd like to speak to him alone."

It took him a moment to realize she was addressing Edward and Albus. Edward answered her levelly. "Does he look like he's in any condition to find his own way back to the common room to you? We never leave him alone like this."

She snapped back, unhappy but in control and acquiescing, "Fine. But you two stay out of it. You can come, witness, satisfy your paranoia, whatever, but this is between Scorpius and I."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, and Scorpius found himself growling, leaning into this cousin's personal space in an aggressive stance, Dianne behind him where she was safe. He didn't need their interference with his mate. He didn't need them at all, but if Dianne was going to allow them they'd follow her rules. Edward lifted his open hands and glanced at the ground, and Scorpius turned away from his submissive opponent.

Dianne was watching him again with that measuring gaze.

"There's a small lab a little ways down this hall that I found the other day. It's dusty, but it's private." Without saying anything else, she turned and strode down the hall. Scorpius followed her.

* * *

><p>Dianne had thought of very little except Scorpius that day. She knew she had to talk to him, but she needed time to get her thoughts in order and prepare the best way to speak them aloud. She had no wish to hurt Scorpius more than was absolutely necessary, and she knew some of the truths she had to share with him would hurt. She'd noticed how he looked at lunch, and knew he wasn't getting any better, but she wasn't prepared for Edward to confront her just before dinner and practically drag her into a private corridor.<p>

He'd demanded to know how long she intended to 'play with' Scorpius's life. He'd accused her of cold-hearted manipulation and tried to insist that whatever it was she wanted and was trying to achieve, he had the ability to guarantee it as Scorpius' closest blood relative available at Hogwarts. Needless to say, she's been furious and offended. Too much had happened for her to be able to absorb it and fully react in a single day. He asked if she intended to wait until Scorpius was hospitalized. She told him to enjoy the hospitalization waiting for him when Scorpius found out that he'd called her out in front of her classmates and escorted her off like a naughty child and attempted to reprimand her the same way. The conversation eventually ended in her sweeping off to dinner.

She couldn't put it out of her head though, and eventually decided to talk to Scorpius after the meal. She would have preferred more time, but something in Edward's urgency had her worried. So she braced herself to see him, likely further degenerated, and went to find him. The mental preparation hadn't worked, not really. He looked ill. Grey and clammy skin, diminished demeanor, fevered eyes. It wasn't so different than how her mother had looked, in the beginning. Much better than she'd seen him at his lowest, but much worse than any other time since then.

What she had wanted to say to him now seemed callous, and she had to fight to maintain her anger. She had been hurt, betrayed, and she had a right to feel that way. Still, once they were in the room she'd selected, she knew she'd start out softer than she'd meant to.

"Please raise some wards." The room had once had high counter worktops and tall stools clustered around them. Now there were only a few foot rests remaining and about half of the lab stations. She'd chosen the room specifically because she wanted to stand. Even though she was the shortest person in the group, she knew that she was only one accustomed to standing for confrontations. Slytherins did all their most serious work while seated.

Scorpius performed the same silent wand motions that she knew signified secrets wards which would only be broken by another blood Malfoy.

"I want to talk about our future."

"Okay." Scorpius didn't offer anything further, but she was pretty sure that he was physically incapable of it anyway. He really did look horrible.

"I don't want you to die, Scorpius. Not today. Not while it's in my power to stop it. But… I can't go on like this either. I just… can't."

"I know. Derek told me: you'll never love a coward."

She nodded. "That is true. It's more than that though. We need to be realistic about what our future together holds."

"I don't follow."

"We haven't really talked about what happens after Hogwarts. We fought about Vega until we were both blue in the face, and I'm sorry for putting us through that. But it's the closest we've ever gotten to actually articulating what our plans are. What happens next?"

He seemed confused, and she knew that she was right to insist on starting on this topic. Everything else would be addressed in time. "We graduate from Hogwarts. We'll live in one of the Malfoy properties. I'll take over the Headship before I'm thirty, likely sooner. Then you'll sit in the Wizengamot as we talked about before."

She felt like crying, and wondered how much longer she would last. She'd been avoiding tears for almost 24 hours now. "Please, Scorpius. Be honest."

He looked wounded. "I would never lie to you."

"Then you're lying to yourself. Can you really look me in the eye and tell me your father is going to hand over the Headship when he knows that it will mean letting me be Madam Malfoy? When he can guess full well that I may end up sitting for you?"

He looked struck. It stopped her from throwing it in his face. But she didn't stop speaking.

"And what if he does? What if you become Lord Malfoy? Then I'm Madame Malfoy, and I cannot articulate just how much the thought terrifies me. I never intended to be a witch, Scorpius. Before this Christmas, my plans for my future were magic-less. I'm taking summer classes to prepare for the international bachelorette, which will replace my missing education in the eyes of the Muggle government. I intended to spend two years at a small college, then go to University. I intended to study law and business. I had no intention of using my wand or even living in England, necessarily. After the disaster that was OWLs… Scorpius I can't describe to you what it meant to feel my magic for the first time in my life, to be alive in a way that I had never been before. It was so amazing. But it meant being sick and weak in other ways, and then it faded. I feel that loss even now. I felt it all last summer, an emptiness that I couldn't fight. So I came back. But I feel it more here at Hogwarts than anywhere else. I thought it would be better to come back, to see magic and be able to hold my wand again. But it's not. It's worse. I know what I ought to be, and I'm not. I never will be again."

"We never talked about how we ended up in detention together. But the truth is that I didn't just lose control and start shouting at your godfather. I made a deliberate decision. I need to get a NEWT in potions in order to graduate from Hogwarts. And that means that I need to get a good enough grade this year to take it next year. I had to pass that potion. And nothing else had worked, nothing I did was good enough, so I took the risk just to try to get his attention. It was the last class of the year. If it didn't work, I planned to accept the consequences and mail in my withdrawal during Christmas. I only came back to school to save your life."

He had let her say it all. She had suspected that he would—she couldn't recall him ever interrupting her. But she didn't know what would come next. She paused, but he was still just looking at her. She didn't let herself glance at their audience. This was between them. "I don't know what the other option is. You have a vow to the Phoenix. You _can't_ leave Wizarding England. This weekend proved that. But I can't be a part of that world. I just don't see any way forward. Everything looks so impossible."

This time when she fell silent she was determined to remain so until he responded. She searched his face for a moment, then looked down and simply waited. She couldn't look at him when he was like this and still say what needed to be said.

"You don't have to be afraid. You're my mate. There is nothing I won't do for you. I will always protect you. Whatever it takes."

"That's not true, Scorpius, and you know it. You've proved it."

"That's what I wanted to tell you. I've thought of nothing else all night. I'm going to change, Dianne. I don't want to be a coward. You deserve so much better than that. I am going to be stronger."

"Strong enough to say no to the Phoenix? Even if it means losing your magic?"

"I'm already doing everything you've told me to." He sounded hurt. More hurt. It made it hard to voice her own fears.

"And what about when they tell you to leave me? Because they will, Scorpius. I have convinced you to act against their wishes. They'll think that I managed to help you somehow safely break the oath. At the very least, they'll try to get you to leave me. What will you do then?"

"I will **never** leave you."

"And what if you do, Scorpius? Some day, for some reason? If I love you, if I let myself be your wife… then that's it. End of story. You become everything. You're my future, my family, my livelihood. My only power would come from your name, your influence, being your wife. And if I ever lost that, for any reason, I would have nothing. I don't like being helpless."

"You won't have to be."

"I already am." He growled at that. "I am, Scorpius. My only weapon is your life, which I won't risk. I am completely powerless." She lost the battle with her tears, but they fell silently, so she just looked away and hoped they didn't notice.

He stepped closer to her. "You will never be in any danger. I won't let anything happen to you." He gripped her upper arms and she let him, but still didn't look over. "I can't imagine you as powerless. It simply isn't in your nature. We will find a way to ensure it is never true."

"You can't will facts out of existence."

"You refused to accept helplessness this weekend. Why do let fear rule you now?"

"Because this isn't just a misunderstanding, Scorpius!" She was shouting now, turned to look at him fully, and gesturing so wildly that he had to release her. She didn't know how to stop. She wasn't sure she wanted to. "This is a complete and fundamental break in our very world views. You believe that the very magic in your veins is what makes you a person. You believe that bloodline matters and power matters and I don't have **either one**! You believe my parents are less than human. Every time I talk about Muggle psychology and philosophy you cringe, because you don't truly believe that Muggles and wizards think the same way. You don't believe in their personhood, not really.

"You judge Muggles for their science, the risks they have taken to achieve the successes they've accomplished. You look down on us for our history, our culture, our limitations, our powerlessness. You believe that we are blind and maybe we are. I've known the power you taste every day, even if just for a few weeks, and I know that I lack something fundamental. And maybe that makes me inferior. Maybe that makes me powerless. Maybe that makes me worthless."

"You could never be worthless." Dianne stopped talking then. Not because she was finished, but because she was shocked he'd been able to interrupt, and she wanted to know what had enabled him to do it. "You are powerful, and beautiful, and clever. You are intelligent, cunning, hard-working, and courageous. My father is wrong. You are worthy to be Madame Malfoy, and I would be proud to call Derek my brother. Magic is important, but there are so many things that matter more. I am the Heir of Malfoy. I am one of the most powerful casters in my year, I am the Heir of an Ancient and Noble house, I rule Slytherin House and I am a pureblooded wizard. But you saved the lives of the Naga. With nothing more than your own sense of what was right, your stubbornness, and your wisdom, you convinced me. But even before that, you convinced us all to write the resolution and to present it."

He caught her hands, and she gripped him back just as tightly. He wasn't finished yet.

"I don't know what our future holds. I don't have an exact answer. But we can figure it out, together. I've watched you grow so much just in the short time that I've known you. Every obstacle just makes you better as you overcome it. I want to do the same. I don't know exactly how I'm going to do it, but I fully intend to become the man you deserve. Everything you accused me of—it's true. Or it was. I did look down on your family. I didn't care about the Naga, not really. And I betrayed you. I am so, so sorry for hurting you. Please, I want to heal this together."

She was still crying, she realized. It felt almost surreal—too good to be true, too easy, and somehow also not good enough. She felt free, and simultaneously as though nothing had changed in the least. She didn't know what to say. So she closed the last bit of space between them, freed her hands, and hugged him tightly.

He raised his arms without hesitation and hugged her back. For a long time, they simply stood there together, clutching each other and rocking ever so slightly. She turned her face into his robes and cried softly, and he just held her and ran a hand over her hair every so often.

Finally, she broke the silence. "I don't know what to say. I need to think." She felt him stiffen slightly and knew that he thought she was pulling away from him again so she tightened the hug as she continued. "But I don't want to be alone. Just, just wait here with me. Please."

"Of course." She rested her forehead against his shoulder as she tried to sort out everything that had been said. It was too much—but she couldn't just leave things as they were. It felt empty, somehow, and she didn't want to let it fester. She tried to look into the future, and it seemed the same as it had two hours previously.

"How do I know that you can change?"

She didn't know if she meant it to be an actual question, or if it was just her own hopelessness seeking a voice. Scorpius answered anyway. "I will. It may take a little time. But I know that I can do this, especially with your help. Just give me a chance." The words rumbled through her, standing as close together as they were. She tried to picture this, and found herself instead contemplating the harsh, aristocratic features of Draco Malfoy.

"And your father?" She could feel him drawing breath to answer. "Don't say anything you don't mean. And don't give me 'we'll work it out'. I don't want platitude."

"I can't imagine that he would seek to hurt me. And hurting you would hurt me deeply. But if it comes down to a choice between you… I'd pick you. I think he's right in a lot of things. But so are you. The difference is that you can acknowledge that you're wrong. More than that, when you're wrong you work to fix it. I've never seen him do that."

"I want so badly to believe you Scorpius."

"I would never lie to you!" she clung more tightly in response to his hurt and anger.

"I didn't mean that. I just meant that it's so much to absorb. It's too much to really grasp. I don't think you're lying. It's just that… well, emotions aren't logical. It all still feels like words to me."

"How can I prove it to you?"

"It will take time." She wondered if they had time, or if the Veela would take that as rejection. "We'll just have to try to work through it. Together."

He was quiet, but she didn't look up at him. She was quite sure she didn't want to see his face. "Why are you afraid to be Madame Malfoy?"

Well, she had let that slip out. And they needed to talk about it. "I will never be good enough for the women that are supposed to be my peers. It's not like politics. In politics there is a standard. If you're right, then eventually everyone has to listen to you or look like a fool. You can work one person at a time, one piece at a time, and you can win. In social circles, there is no criteria, and there are no small victories. All it takes is one petty laugh and everything you work for is ruined. But it still has all the dangers and drawbacks of politics, too. The masks, the manipulations. When I use these things for politics, it's exhilarating and liberating. I feel in control. I know what I'm doing and why. But in social circles, the mask controls me. It happened every time I went to those stupid debate camps. In the rounds, I was fine. Anything I did or said I could just shake off. But when we started just hanging out, talking, discussing, chatting… then I said things I didn't believe and didn't want to. I did it for no real purpose or reason, just because it seemed like maybe I should. I didn't gain any friendship for it. It was fake and I think somehow everyone always knows that. But I can't stop it. When I socialize I lose myself. I always have."

"No, you haven't." He pulled away from her, and tilted her face to look up at him. "I mean that. You have made more genuine connections with the Slytherins than I've seen in 7 years here. You don't realize you're doing it, and I'd bet half the time the rest of them don't realize it either, but you have a vitality and truthfulness and inspires others to watch to be sincere too. I want you to be Madame Malfoy, because I think you'd do an excellent job of it. What you're doing here with the Naga isn't so different than the kind of thing you'd do for a charity. And the networking that you've done with Rosier and Ackerley is a solid foundation for future familial alliance. Give yourself a little credit."

"You're hardly impartial."

"Then ask them." She'd nearly forgotten about their audience, and she felt herself blush deeply as she realized that she'd just admitted some of her deepest fears to them both.

"He's right." Albus said immediately. "You'd make a stunning Madame Malfoy."

She forced herself to focus on Scorpius. He was the one that mattered. She opened her mouth to ask about their philosophical differences regarding the rule of law, but he spoke first. She listened.

"I'm not impartial. That's true. How can I be, when I've spent eight weeks with you? I've seen your passion for justice, your love for you family, your sheer competence! You are strong willed and beautiful, articulate, clever, kind, hardworking, and determined. You motivate the people around you to what is right. Can you deny any of this?"

She was too stunned to answer. Alone, any of those might have applied to her. But when he placed them next to each other, side-by-side, it added up to someone she couldn't possibly be. And yet, it was indeed all true.

"The Veela didn't make a mistake. You are my soul mate, my other half. Nothing will come between that, nothing will change that. I will say it as often as you need to hear it until you believe it. You don't need Vega to tell you that you're worth everything an entire country could offer you. I knew that from that first morning, sitting in your living room, listening to you work. We don't agree on everything. There are still issues to work out, and if our future needs to be on that list then we'll put it there. But we can do this. Do you still want to?"

"Yes." She took a deep breath. "Yes. I want to make this work." She glanced around the room, trying to buy herself some time to assimilate. Unfortunately, she had chosen the room specifically for its Spartan nature.

"We should get back to Slytherin, at least put in a showing of some kind. How much trouble would we be in if I 'accidently' fell asleep on the Slytherin couch with you?"

He seemed to freeze in an entirely different way, and she heard either Albus or Edward gasp softly. She knew it was a bad idea. There was school trouble to consider, being out after curfew for one, and the fact that technically she wasn't even supposed to know where the Slytherin common room was let alone go into it, although the school had overlooked the second half of that for weeks now. Then there was the social trouble: even being intended wouldn't stop rumors if she was still in Slytherin House the next morning. But she was quite simply exhausted, and being in Zee's grip felt so right.

"It doesn't matter." Hearing him say that made the night a little more real, and drove home everything he had promised her. It was enough that she knew she'd be okay to go back to Ravenclaw without him.

She heard one of the other two step closer. "Yes, Scorpius, it does." It was Edward who spoke. "Think of what they'd say about her tomorrow. Dianne deserves better than that. Take her back to her common room, and be in bed before curfew. You'll see each other tomorrow." He was right, of course, but Zee was still waiting for her reaction before he said anything. She nodded, loosened her hold and wiped her eyes on her sleeves.

"You're right. I shouldn't have asked." He brushed the hair out of her face in a way that somehow told her he disagreed with her assessment.

"We could chaperone." Albus said gently, thinking it through aloud. "If we went back to Slytherin now, you'd have just over a half hour together. Spend it however you like. At curfew, the four of us will walk you back to your dorm. The professors won't give us any trouble." He hesitated before continuing. "But if anyone asks, you should tell them you've had some bad news regarding your family. You don't have to specify, but you've clearly been crying." She nodded, grateful, and Zee draped an arm over her shoulders. She took a deep breath as he led her out of the classroom, and it was the first time since that night at the arcade that she fully believed everything would work out.

-Chapter End. 10,200 Words-

Author's Note:

We apologize for the delay in the publication of this chapter. I decided to re-work one of the scene which just never felt quite right to me. My beta was a very good sport about re-editing it three more times to get this to you before she heads back to school. The next two posts should be much quicker. That's right everyone, just two more chapters to go!

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Posted on August 24, 2014.


	11. Possibilities

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: Possibilities**

"Well, open it."

Dianne fully understood Zee's impatience, but she couldn't help but sympathize with Albus' shaking hands as he tried to open the much-awaited letter with all the solemnity he felt it deserved. She could feel the adrenaline rushing her system, as though she was standing in the final round of the National Congress Tournament, waiting to give the closing remarks of the session. She had known from her reaction to Zee's temporary betrayal that this resolution was important to her, but feeling the rush now made her wonder if maybe the Wizengamot might be as good for her as Zee kept insinuating.

Finally, Albus had the letter open and, at his audience's urging, read its contents.

"Dearest son; Please allow me be the first to offer you my congratulations." Dianne felt Zee relax beside her and knew she was grinning widely. Congratulations could only mean one thing. "I am pleased to inform you that the Resolution for Understanding and Relief, which has become coined by the media as the Naga Peace Resolution, passed earlier this hour, with 42 seats voting in favor and 2 seats abstaining."

Albus' voice was growing slowly louder and he was talking progressively faster as he tried to contain his excitement. "It passed without amendment or modification and by a margin significant enough to place it into immediate effect. The secondary vote required to establish the panel outlined in Section VI was unanimous in favor of its establishment, membership and authority."

Dianne forced herself to breathe normally and _not_ to shout in excitement. "In light of this success," Albus paused, looking shell-shocked, and she saw Scorpius immediately throw up a privacy ward, as Albus cleared his throat and continued slowly. "In light of this success I feel it is _appropriate_ to tell you that I have already made all necessary preparations to hand the Potter Seat into your control upon your 19th birthday. Your…" he took a deep breath. "Your alliance with House Malfoy was unexpected but handled most magnificently. I am so very proud of you, both for this authorship and the alliance which allowed it. Please extend my congratulations and my gratitude to House Malfoy and your other allies." Albus looked up, obviously still shell-shocked.

"We did it." He whispered, and Dianne felt the privacy ward dissipate, as Scorpius seemed to decide no other confidential information would be included in their breakfast conversation. "We did it."

"Congratulations on the Seat." Scorpius said, and Dianne could hear the laughter in his voice.

"Only 6 dissenting is pretty impressive." Edward added, and Dianne knew that her grin grew a little at that.

"I don't remember the last time a resolution passed without a single adjustment."

Unable to keep herself from indulging in just a bit of victory, Dianne raised her tea cup, "To the Slytherin alliance!" It wasn't the most original name, but after one columnist had used it, it had caught on pretty quickly. Scorpius had wanted to fight it, but Dianne knew from experience that reputation could be as important to politics as actual accomplishments, so she'd urged them to capitalize on the press by using it themselves.

"And our Ravenclaw mastermind," Albus added as he raised his goblet of pumpkin juice to meet the glasses of Scorpius and Edward, already lifted, "the secret weapon."

They drank, still beaming with their success and trying to hold on to what decorum they could as word of the results filtered down the table.

"Congratulations, Reed." Rosier interjected from his seat on the far side of Edward. "And you also of course, House Malfoy, House Potter." Dianne forced herself to incline her head graciously, and not, no matter how much she wished it, jump up and do a victory dance. Rosier had congratulated her first. He softened the blow by giving Scorpius and Albus perhaps more respect than he should have since neither one of them were actually seated yet, but he had recognized her first!

"We appreciate the help you gave by lending your attention and your insight." She answered, trying to sound sincere instead of giddy. The help he had given was likely part of the reason why it had passed unedited, and that deserved full recognition. He inclined his head with a barely-smile and Dianne mentally crossed her fingers that she really would have friends in Slytherin the following fall.

"You realize what this means, right?" Albus asked Scorpius as the non-priority mail began to arrive. Scorpius accepted a letter from his family owl, opening it calmly as he motioned for Albus to continue. "They're going to ask us to write more proposals, even before we're seated. Any of our fathers' allies could ask it of us. We've got the time, and obviously the skill. We could end up writing another one before the year is out. How great would it be to walk onto the Wizengamot having already written two or three passing bills?"

Scorpius looked up from his letter, as shocked as Albus had been. "How does twenty sound?"

"What?"

"Twenty passing bills. How does that sound?" When Albus didn't respond, Scorpius handed over his letter. "My father had been approached by no less than seventeen individuals and coalitions, and has compiled a list of twenty topics for us to choose our next proposal from. Most of those are not traditionally our allies. Between your father and mine _combined_, perhaps half of those are a direct ally. We're holding a proposal list from the moderates."

"Sweet Merlin."

At the risk of sounding naive and nervous, Dianne forced herself to ask, "This is good, right?"

Edward answered her, while the two friends just stared at the letter between them. "It's more than just good. They're being recognized outside of their traditional family circles, for more than just their traditional family strengths. What this essentially says is that they could make their own policy, and they'd have substantial support. I've never heard of anyone not yet graduated being asked to author legislation except by a Head of House or House ally too lazy to do it themselves. These groups could be going to lawyers, to their own representatives, or to any other member of the Wizengamot. They're choosing to come to two seventh years, based on one resolution."

"Wow. Congrats, Zee." He looked up from the letter in surprise.

"This is as much for you as it is for us. We're a team, end of story." His smile turned suddenly teasing. "Don't think you can get out of helping us that easy." She laughed. It felt good to be teased. The last four days had done wonders for their friendship, but they were still re-discovering how to simply enjoy themselves.

"I know. I still get to congratulate you, silly. And you too, of course, House Potter." Albus laughed.

"It worked. Our fathers actually approved and it worked."

Breakfast was finishing, and further conversation was delayed by the inundation of students congratulating Scorpius and Albus. Dianne stood to go to class, squeezing Zee's arm in a silent goodbye, when an owl caught up with her as she was leaving the hall. She sighed, knowing it was useless to protest that Muggle-magical mail always seemed to arrive late, and paid the bird, opening the very thick packet of parchment addressed to her.

It took almost ten seconds of staring at the envelope in her hands to register what she was seeing. When she did, she learned that the adrenaline of earlier was nothing—her hands were shaking, she could feel her heartbeat in her chest and in her fingertips and in her throat. She started to get dizzy before she remembered to breathe. _Well_, she heard Zee's voice echo from less than an hour earlier,_ open it_.

_Transfiguration_. She heard herself disagree. _I'll be late to Transfiguration_.

_Like you'll be able to concentrate anyways._

_Later._ She promised as she shoved the unopened packet into her book-bag and sprinted for the sixth floor. Due to her unnecessary rush, she was actually early, but she refused to open the envelope there, when she wouldn't be able to read it or react properly. She could feel her leg bouncing up and down completely separate from her body, but she couldn't stop it. She could hardly breathe. She just had to make it though this hour, then she could ditch History of Magic and find Zee.

The lecture was on subtle inanimate to animate long-term transfigurations (which, as it turned out, was exactly what her newly acquired ever-fresh headband of flowers was). It was theory she was familiar with, since they had studied how to manage the same effect with Runes the previous semester in the Applied Ancient Runes curriculum, and that familiarity made it too easy for her mind to wander away from notes and lessons and wand movements and onto heavy, thick letters embossed with Muggle typeset.

When they moved into the practical, Dianne forced herself to focus on the paper flower in front of her and not the paper in her book-bag. The wand movement was exactly like tracing the rune in the air, and the incantation was very close to the Rune-name as well. _Prope Vivit_. _Prope Vivit_.

"Prope Vivit." She tested the incantation, not even holding her wand to risk no waste of magic. It sounded correct, and sort of ran off the tongue. She held her wand as instructed, focused on the flower as it had been folded and the one she wanted to make—a nice rose, the petal pattern was the same, it was the right size, and she could easily remember the feel of the soft petals of the roses in the Malfoy gardens. "_Prope Vivit_." And there, sitting on her desk, was a beige rose the exact color and—she picked it up—texture of the ones Scorpius had showed her. She'd done it. On the first try.

Dianne sat back, stunned. She'd managed inanimate to animate transformation on the first try, without saving up her magic specifically for the spell. The rose petals had tiny veins and even smelled exactly the way she thought they should.

The euphoric high wasn't diminished during the wait for lunch, and after seeing her grinning face—and the still barely suppressed smugness of Albus and Zee—Edward dragged their party outside for a picnic.

"Honestly, don't you lot have any control? Dianne, I understand. But you, Heir Malfoy?" he complained as he opened the basket delivered by the house elves.

"Hush up. We've earned a bit of gloating." Albus admonished, lying with his back on the charmed blanket, grinning at the grey winter sky.

"Sure. Whatever. But I'm not missing dinner, so get it out of your system now."

"Where did you get this?" Zee asked, and Dianne realized that she was playing with her rose from Transfiguration, which still hadn't reverted back.

"I made it." Zee immediately sat up straighter so he could look at her, and she felt herself blush. "I managed it on my first try—inanimate to animate transfiguration. It's supposed to be one of the ones from your garden."

"Dianne, that's great!"

"It's not a big deal."

"Dragon's breath." Albus cut in. "That's good work—perfectly detailed. Impressive, especially considering."

"Here." Zee said, slipping it into her hair, and pinning it there lightly with a charm. "Perfect." She felt herself grin and flush even redder than before and ducked her head. Scorpius laughed, sitting back against the tree they were under, pulling her to lean against him. As usual, Edward remained upright, opposite them.

"So what was _your_ letter about?" Albus asked from his horizontal position. "Since I doubt it was congratulations on our political success?"

"You got a letter?" Zee asked, and she realized Albus had been talking to her. It took her a moment to remember the package buried in her pack, which had been forgotten after the elation of a single incantation.

"I haven't opened it yet. It's in my bag." She said, gesturing to Edward's side where the bags were piled. She tried not to let her heart start thundering, but it wasn't easy. Edward retrieved it and handed it to Zee, who didn't pass it along immediately.

"It's from Oxford. I thought you said you wouldn't hear back from Universities until March?" Although they had all agreed, in the end, that she would not accept Vega's offer, the idea of University continued to appeal to her, and she had decided to apply to a few schools just in case. She hadn't expected much; even though she had taken IB tests she had no school records to back them. But the quick turnaround time wasn't what made the letter such a big deal.

"Zee, I didn't apply to Oxford. Derek got rejected, there is no way I'd be able to make it without records. I don't know why they're writing."

"Well, today has an 'all news is good news' trend, so let's hear it." Albus pressed. It took her two deep breathes and three tries to slit open the top of the envelope, and even then it tore through the blue seal very messily. Carefully, she extracted the top sheet, loose from the others. For a moment, the only thing her blurred eyes could read was the bold-faced 'accepted to attend beginning next fall'. Then, she heard the waves on the lake and saw her vision tunnel.

"Dianne!" Zee's shout came from a long way away, and she looked up at him, realizing she'd gone completely limp. Scorpius, who had been under her, had her laid out on the blanket and was kneeling over her, trying to see what was wrong.

"I think I forgot to breathe," she admitted, and realized that was becoming a far too common occurrence.

"Miss Dianne Reed." Albus read from the cover letter he had picked up off the ground. "Thank you for applying to the Oxford University, College of Law. We have reviewed your application and the extenuating circumstances surrounding your available records. Based on the essay, portfolio, test scores, and application information you submitted, you have been accepted to attend beginning next fall, conditional on an in-person interview to be scheduled no later than the 15th of February, and to take place prior to the 30th of March. Please follow the procedures outlined in the enclosed information to ensure this interview is as convenient as possible for all involved. Also included is information on our merit-based scholarship programs, for which I believe you are an excellent candidate. I look forward to meeting with you, Miss Reed. Thank you for choosing Oxford University. Signed, the Vice President of the College of Law, Oxford University."

"No." Dianne found her difficulty breathing now had nothing to do with forgetting and everything to do with the fact that there was not enough oxygen in the air. "That can't be right! I have to finish Hogwarts. I can't go next fall. I didn't even fill out an application for Oxford. What would I even…Oxford. I've been accepted to Oxford University, College of Law." Scorpius pulled her upwards, toward him, until he was holding her tightly.

"Dianne! Breathe with me. It's okay. Don't worry, we'll handle this. Just, calm down. Your heart is going like a jackalope's. Just, breathe, okay?"

It took several minutes before Zee seemed satisfied that she wasn't going to pass out again, but when he shifted her slightly to make conversation easier she wasn't entirely sure she was ready to face the music. "Yeah. I just… that's not what I expected."

"Why didn't you apply, if you wanted to go?"

"It's the most prestigious law university in the country, and probably one of the top schools in the world. Derek didn't make it in. I knew it was too thick to be a rejection letter, but… I didn't write an entrance essay. And the schools I _did_ apply to, I applied for the fall term _after_ next. _After I graduated_. Getting into Oxford… there's no way. And a merit scholarship? That's for the top 5%. The top five percent of one of the most elite universities in the world! I don't have school records past turning 11! This is…" it was surreal, but not in the same way the rest of the day had been, "I don't know what to feel. I'm thrilled, I'm creeped out, I don't know."

"This is definitely addressed to you." Albus said. "Maybe your parents applied for you?"

"Why sign me up for the wrong term?"

"Maybe it was a mistake?"

"Maybe." She tried to remember the giddiness she'd had just before opening the letter. Tried to remember that today they were accomplishing the impossible, but something had settled in the pit of her stomach, and it felt eerily similar to walking up the headmaster's spiral staircase, wondering if she should call another teacher. Scorpius situated them back against the tree, and Albus handed her the envelope, all the papers stacked inside. Carefully, Dianne slid it back in her book-bag.

"Please don't worry about this."

"I'll try. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Unfortunately, that afternoon seemed to set the trend for the next week, and nothing was as easy as they believed it would be. The panel had been approved, but the Naga were being stubborn about meeting before anything less than the full Wizengamot and the Department of Intra-Species relations had assigned Patricia Umbridge to 'deal with the situation.' While not as deluded as her infamous aunt, she held no love of other species and was not helping to cool tempers.<p>

There were additional complications and controversies concerning the Naga's power, the details of which were hushed up but which involved at least two other countries and pulled the ICW back into the circus. Furthermore, even though most of the Naga had chosen to accept the asylum offered by the bill, the best St. Mungo's and the Unspeakables had managed was to slow the progression of the radiation; they were unable to heal or reverse the damage.

Even Dianne's transfiguration success had been a bitter-sweet victory. While the flower had not reverted yet, she hadn't succeeded in a single spell since and had failed her potions exam that Wednesday.

Most distressing to Dianne, however, was her correspondence with her parents. After a vague answer about 'leaving all her options open' and 'taking advantage of golden opportunities' she had written back a very pointed inquiry about their interference. Scorpius, seeing her distress, had arranged for her to visit home, and Dianne decided not to dwell on the advantages that came of having a godfather for one's head-of-house. It helped, of course, that Albus also spoke with the Deputy Headmistress, who was his aunt.

So it was that, on the following Friday, Dianne skipped History of Magic in order to meet with her parents, Portkeying directly to her backyard. Scorpius had offered to come—well, technically, he'd assumed he was coming until she corrected him—but something in her gut told her this was an issue she had to face on her own. Though she didn't know why, the apprehension she'd originally pushed aside had come back with a vengeance when she got their reply, and after three days of waiting she was far more nervous than she should have been for a simple talk with her parents.

"Mum? Dad? I'm home!" She called as she stepped in through the back door.

"Well, when wizards say 11:07 I guess they mean it!"

"It's a timed Portkey; I'll have to go back at precisely 2:07." She explained as she hugged her mum and then her dad.

"It's good to see you again."

"I know. We usually have to wait until April!"

Dianne said nothing, suddenly reminded of the way Harry Potter had stopped by on Wednesday to eat dinner with his daughter in celebration of her birthday. She had brushed it aside at the time—it was far easier for wizards to transverse from England to Scotland for just a few hours than it was for Muggles to do the same. Additionally, she lacked a not-so-distant relative working at the school to lend an office or create a Portkey at a moment's notice. Now, it stung that she hadn't shared a birthday with her parents since she turned 11.

"Come help me carry lunch in from the kitchen."

Dianne hurried to follow her mum as a cover for her silence, feeling oddly out-of-place even in her own home. It was a feeling she was more used to associating with the Ravenclaw dormitory, and she wondered why it was creeping up on her here. At her parents' request, she spent most of lunch filling them in on the details of what she was doing. She chose to focus on the positive, the need for a bill, their research, and the success they had encountered a week before. She also showed her mum the ever-lasting transfiguration, which she had taken to wearing in her hair every day. She chose not to mention the roadblocks that had come up, using the end of lunch to segue into the topic that had been her original purpose for visiting.

"Of course, all this was on the same day I got a very unexpected acceptance letter."

Her parents shared a glance, and Dianne had an abrupt and unpleasant moment of déjà vu as she remembered coming home two Easters previous to find that she had been lied to. It was her mother that spoke first.

"We didn't know how to tell you, dear. But, we got a visit from Vega—the man you were corresponding with over break—and he explained some things about the wizarding world. He especially explained about the current politics and about Veela and your father and I decided that it would be best to give you as many options as possible."

"What did he say about Veela?"

"He said that if you stay with Malfoy, it will kill you." Her father's statement told her two things immediately. First, was that they had probably spoken with Vega more than once if they'd picked up the wizarding habit of using surnames. Second, was that they had probably spoken at length, because her father considered this a medical certainty, not a supposition.

"Did he say why?"

"It has to do with you healing your mother. Because you used so much power, you don't have as much magic as the Veela thinks you do. You can't support both Malfoy and yourself."

"That's ridiculous. I'd feel it if Scorpius was draining me."

"Phil said you probably wouldn't notice." Dianne noted the familiar name but let her mother continue regardless. "He said it would start subtle, that you'd have trouble with potions, that you'd fail more spells than normal, and that you'd see dramatic fluctuation in casting ability if you spent any significant time away from Scorpius." Her mother, interestingly, did not call him Malfoy.

The diagnosis made her go a little cold. Although her transfiguration victory had occurred some time after that disastrous weekend, she had been significantly tired since, as marked by her complete lack of magical recovery in any class. "Is he certain? And, come to think of it," she stood as it occurred to her. "How would he even know? Why would he care?"

"He got a copy of your experimental case file—"

"—What experimental case file?" She could never remember using this tone of voice with her parents before, but the past ten weeks had sharpened her old instincts and raised her confidence. She could demand, now, even in this house.

Both of her parents shifted uncomfortably and glanced at each other, and her dad leaned forward, suddenly more concerned. "Did you not have a procedure at the end of last year?"

"I did. But I was told it was completely routine for students with my particular difficulties. No one told me it was part of a larger study or that my information would be widely available."

Her parents were both concerned at this, but not surprised and no longer worried. "We had to talk to Phil several times to get all the details," her mom told her softly, "but it seems that he is an expert in this particular field. The same conditions that makes your core weak also allowed you to respond to the treatment better than any other case, and that brought you to his attention. When he saw that you were a Veela mate, he was able to surmise the danger to you from the bond. That's when he started to take an active interest."

"So University was all just a ploy." It didn't make sense to feel betrayal. She had rejected his offer regardless, had moved forward under her own power, but still made her feel sick to have been played.

"No. He really does need young political students. He admitted that he's Japanese, not from Iceland, you called that—"

"—Japanese? A Japanese healer that's suddenly interested in me." It couldn't be coincidence. But Vega had showed up at Christmas, before the attack.

"Yes. Honey what's wrong?"

"He's not who he says he is. It's too much of a coincidence. He's a Naga." She knew that she was distracted, but she couldn't focus, trying to re-assess everything he had said and done under this new light.

"Yes, that's what he called himself." Her mom said it so casually Dianne almost blocked it out. It was enough to make her pay attention again.

"What is a Naga?" Her father asked, carefully. "I assume that it means more than just Japanese wizard?"

"Yes. A lot more. Naga aren't human. We're relatively certain, now, that they're not dark. But we won't be completely secure in that until they meet with the committee and work out some form of trust or investigation or at least _cooperation_, which they refuse to do." She had skipped ahead—too much politics, not enough back ground. Refocus. Deep breath. "The Naga are water spirits. Their humanoid bodies are their secondary forms. Most—nearly all—magical creatures have or at some point had a humanoid body. Some have become trapped in one form or the other—dragons and vampires are each an example of such a case—but from what we can tell the Naga are still free to transform."

She forced herself to stop and again refocus on the topic at hand. "I don't understand how Scorpius needing magic I supposedly don't have and Phillip Vega being a Naga adds up to my being accepted at Oxford."

"It was the best solution for everyone. You want training in law, Phil says that you'll have a bright future with them if you show as much promise in Oxford as you have already, and you won't have to wait to start working with them."

"You forget to mention that it separates me away from Scorpius."

"Darling, this isn't just about his life anymore. You're at risk too."

"I can't do this to him."

"Honey,"

"No. The Malfoys are some of the richest wizards in the world. That treatment I took may have been experimental, but it worked. It wasn't pleasant but—"

"Don't you think we thought of that?" Her dad asked quietly. Dianne forced herself not to pace, even though she didn't sit back down. She met her parent's eyes alternatively, looking for a way out. "Philip strongly advises against it, as an expert opinion in the field."

"An expert according to who?"

"Himself. And the staff of St. Mungo's. We met him there one day to discuss some of the medical details, and we decided to go early and sniff around. It's legitimate."

"There has to be another way."

"Di, honey, what is it?" Dianne silently cursed the tears she couldn't stop. They were silent, unnoticeable, except that her mom always saw them. "This summer you seriously considered not going back to Hogwarts at all, and that was before University was an option."

"That was before Scorpius. It's different now. I have friends. Not just Scorpius' friends, but mine too. They accept me for who I am. They respect how smart I am. They help me on my spells. They listen to my opinion and they take it seriously. I have a future, based on what I can do and what I want to do and I'm going to get to make changes. And Zee—I think I love him. It's been so much, so fast. But we had this fight and it just about killed me to be away from him. I had every right to be mad but… I was mostly just scared of losing him. I tried to keep him at arms' length and I just couldn't. I don't want to lose him. We don't have all the answers, not yet, but we're getting there. I can't walk away and leave him to his fate… I won't do that."

"Di, please, trust us. We know that this is hard. We've spent a lot of time talking it over between us. We only want what is best for you."

"Then you should have included me in those discussions. I deserve that much respect."

"We're trying to protect you."

"I'm almost an adult. You've been treating me like an adult for years and you choose now of all times to try to make me a child?"

"You're my daughter."

"And I love you. I do. But I've finally found something that's _mine_."

"You won't be able to change them."

"What? Where is that coming from?"

"Dianne, please, listen to me, to us." Her mom caught her hand and held on. "Let us protect you. You don't want to be a part of their politics."

"What did Vega tell you?"

"Di…"

She clutched her mother's hand not for comfort but as a subliminal message of dominance. Even as she carefully chose a tone that was strong but not enough to make her defensive, Dianne hated herself. "Tell me."

"He said wizards caused the disaster in Japan as a deliberate attack against the Naga and were refusing to help clean it up."

"He's wrong. No one knows what caused the disaster. If it was an attack, the wizards aren't my number one suspect. And we are doing what we can to clean it up. That's the whole point of my bill. Our bill. It passed with only 12% opposition, bypassed the need for a signature, and was put into immediate effect. It has support from every major political party. They _can_ change. They just need to have change presented to them properly."

"Dianne Alexis Reed—"

"—No Henry, she has a right to her opinion." Dianne couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her mom contradict her father like that. "Dianne, we understand that you need time to process all this, and we understand you have questions. What we ask is that you come to us with those concerns. You have to be very careful who you talk to about this. Phil said the Naga have a lot of enemies, and he is worried that they may come after you if they see any distance between you and Malfoy. That's why he is so eager to get you enrolled in Oxford where you'll be under Naga protection. If you move forward on Oxford, and promise your secrecy, we can talk about this again later."

Her mother dictating terms was almost too much to take calmly. "And if I don't?"

"Then you're not going back."

He couldn't be serious. "What do you mean?"

"Either you give us your word that you'll abide by our conditions, or you won't be returning to Hogwarts this afternoon."

"That's dragon's breath. You can't be serious!"

"We are. Dianne, this is your life we are talking about. We have never been more serious." Dianne felt her throat closing down. She wanted Derek, or Zee, or even Albus or Cassandra. She wanted an ally. She forced herself to stop, to breathe deeply, and avoid the temptation to run. The last time she had given into this trap door, fled into what she wanted, she had destroyed her family. She wouldn't do so again. She forced herself to just think, process slowly and work through potential consequences.

She could give her parents her word. Return to Hogwarts and try to avoid Zee's questions, have this debate by letter, and try to work everything out before the interview deadline passed. It wouldn't work; Scorpius was too curious and too easily hurt by distance between them. She was unwilling to risk what they were building.

She could refuse to give her parents her word. Zee would panic, come looking for her. There was no version of that scenario that ended well. No matter what she said, if it came out that her parents were trying to split up a Veela Mating Bond all hell would break loose. She, personally, had some power to end the bond. But her Muggle parents would not even receive a trial.

"What am I supposed to tell Scorpius?"

"You know him better than we do. We were hoping you'd know what he'd be most likely to believe." They wanted her to lie to her intended.

She could give her word to her parents, and then break it.

She could tell Scorpius everything. He would do whatever she asked him to, as long as she didn't let his anger get out of hand. They could figure out a solution together. If necessary, they'd contact Vega or another expert. The Malfoys had the money to make it happen. There was some level of risk that her parents would be prosecuted, but minimal if she made Scorpius swear they'd be safe. He wouldn't want to hurt her. And there would be no reason to persecute them if she went back.

But it would all rest on breaking her word to her parents. She set her hands on her hips and felt the Portkey in her pocket. She very carefully didn't react. She'd give them one more chance.

"Why can't I tell Scorpius the truth, at least? It's not like he would betray me."

"Honey, his father has been paying a lot of money to research ways to sever your bond without hurting his son. If he could be rid of you, he would be. If he finds a way to succeed, Scorpius knowing your plans could put you in a lot of danger."

"Zee loves me. He won't hurt me."

"The Veela wouldn't hurt you. Malfoy Senior is trying to find a way to end that dependence."

She deliberately misinterpreted, even though it wouldn't fool them. She needed a moment. "Well, that would protect me too, wouldn't it? If Scorpius wasn't pulling on my magic?"

"Phil fears what Draco Malfoy might do to you after the bond is broken. He's a war criminal." And he wouldn't want a Muggleborn intended to his son if he had any choice. But in the end, it wasn't his choice. It was Zee's. It was both of theirs. So long as she made it back to him, they could get through this together. She needed them to forget about the Portkey. Provoke them into habit instead of rationality. And the good news was that it would mean she wouldn't have to lie to them.

"Don't be ridiculous. We ate dinner with the man. He's a politician and a snake but he's not dangerous. Look, I'm not saying I'll be reckless. I promise to follow up on Oxford to whatever extent is necessary to make it an open option. But I don't know how I can do that and lie to Zee at the same time. I promise I'll be careful. I even promise to not tell anyone else and I'll let Vega preach to me or whatever you want. But I don't think I can lie to Scorpius. I don't want to lie to him."

"That's your decision. Go to your room, dinner will be ready at 6:00." Numbly, disbelievingly, Dianne rose and walked to her room. Somehow, even as she was doing it, she hadn't expected it to work. She couldn't believe she was going through with it.

She sat on the bed, seeing nothing. The trophies lined on their shelves, the books stacked in every spare inch of closet and bookcase, the simple furniture and the smell of home were all just a canvas. Across them lay her scattered thoughts. The friendships she had made. The accomplishments she'd had. The hope she held. And, of course, the truths that she couldn't deny. She was dying. The Slytherins had only accepted her because of her intended, had known her only a few weeks, and would not stand by her against anyone of any significance. The lengths Vega was going to for her. The dual awareness of flattery and guardedness it gave her. The acceptance to Oxford. The strings pulled to procure it. The flower in her hair. The potions she'd always struggled with.

She remembered her mother, wasted away, thin and weak, skin translucent and dry, eyes misted, and bald. She remembered a single, uninterrupted stream of rattling that was breathing. She remembered the grisly rhythm. She remembered a beat of silence. She remembered a second beat of silence. She remembered her throat closing and her tears blocking her denial and laying her head on the hospital bed and praying to wake up from the bad dream. She remembered waking up to quiet smiles, and careful embraces. She remembered days at the arcade, blurred by years, and the one night that stood almost close enough to touch. She thought about the Pheonix, and the Naga. She remembered that Scorpius had been callous or cowardly enough to beg her help with genocide. She remembered that when she'd come back to steal his help from him, Zee had trusted her enough, and had courage enough, to follow what she offered. She remembered fooling nearly the entire Slytherin common room. She remembered walking into the open ranks of waiting classmates, who gave her two floors of stairs to compose her excuses. She remembered six years of distain, loneliness, and judgment. She remembered being so angry, and loosing so much control, that she screamed into the face of the Potions Master and earned herself detention.

At some point she had begun to pace, mind too busy to keep her body still. She was therefore completely unbalanced when her Portkey activated a full hour earlier than expected.

* * *

><p>Deputy Headmistress Katie Weasley was not an unintelligent woman. Her school marks didn't set any records, but then classes had never been her first priority. She had married a man who was effectively a spell-crafter and master businessman and had been forced to patch the hole left in his life by his equally creative and brilliant brother in order to reclaim the man she loved. As a Gryffindor she had learned to rely on her instincts, to trust that she sometimes observed facts subconsciously that hadn't processed fully on the conscious level. Furthermore, she had a truly healthy sense of curiosity.<p>

It was these factors that had led her to eavesdrop on a dinner conversation over the Winter Solace vacation in a Muggle restaurant. It was also her instinct and curiosity that had prompted her to send Dianne away to her cousin on a two-way Portkey. It could have been an unmediated disaster, and in the day immediately following she had wondered if she had made the right choice given the distance between the Veela and Ravenclaw and the damage that the Malfoy heir suffered as a result. Just as she was preparing to confront Reed, however, the situation turned itself around and she reattached herself to Malfoy's hip.

Katie wasn't completely sure why she had felt the need to set Reed's Portkey to return her to Hogwarts a full hour earlier than officially planned, but she made the decision and prepared to pass it off as an honest mistake if necessary. Then she made sure that she was alone in her office at 1:07 to receive her student.

Reed entered without a hint of grace, the Portkey dumping her on the floor at Katie's feet. Reed winced as she stood, but didn't seem to be seriously hurt. The first thing she did was glance at her watch, then look up at Katie in surprise. "It's only 1 o'clock."

"I thought it would be prudent for us to have a bit to talk." Reed considered her carefully for a very long moment, then accepted the seat in front of Katie's desk with a gracefulness that reminded Katie that this Muggleborn had swept up the Headmaster's stairs in Muggle clothes and more dignity than Draco Malfoy himself.

"That's probably not a bad idea. But how did you know it might be necessary?"

"Mr. Malfoy is entirely dependent on your good will. I and the rest of the staff need to know if you intend to reject him before you actually do so in order to allow us time to prepare and react. As none of you were exactly clear about why you needed to go home, it seemed necessary to discuss the outcome of this emergency meeting."

"To be honest, I don't know where to begin." Katie watched Reed carefully, surprised to see that she looked relieved, rather than reluctant.

"Perhaps at the beginning?"

"That would be this Christmas, at the Malfoy's ball. A gentleman introduced himself to us as Phillip Vega. He claimed to be a politician from Iceland. He said that he recognized me from a debate tournament years ago which he attended as a talent scout and he offered to pay for me to attend University if I would put that education towards working for the Icelandic Ministry of Magic. The whole thing was pretty fishy. He remembered me too well, and the entire conversation felt rehearsed, but I exchanged some letters with him after the ball, just feeling the waters and seeing how far I could push him. He bent over backwards, was willing to grant citizenship to myself and Scorpius in just a few years, things like that. Scorpius and I had a huge fight over it, because he thought I was trying to leave him when really I was just trying to figure out what was going on. There was more, but that's the important stuff. After that, I sent Vega a very polite letter making it clear I appreciated his attention but wasn't interested in Iceland or in his scholarship.

"Despite that, however, the idea of University really appealed to me, and I started applying, hoping to attend for a little while after Hogwarts, even if I didn't get a full degree. Scorpius was very supportive, even helped me fill out applications…" She paused, and seemed to refocus on Katie for a moment. "I don't know how much you know about the legislation that we all worked on?"

"If you mean the resolution to help the Naga, I assure you, I am well aware of the time you put into it, the staging you did in the common room to present it, and the significance of the success you have since enjoyed. Professor Zabini is very proud of his Slytherins."

"I figured. What you probably don't know is that there was a… complication… at the last minute. After Scorpius and Albus presented the resolution to their fathers and before it had officially passed there was an issue that I really can't explain, except to say that at first it drove Scorpius and I apart, but that since then we've never been closer. It forced me to say some things that I hadn't really admitted even to myself, and Zee and I have been growing closer ever since."

"It was this issue that required your cousin's intervention?"

"Yes. And I really appreciate your help that day. Anyways the important thing is that I really, genuinely like Zee now. I might even love him." Katie felt her heart clench for the girl in front of her. Katie had known George for years before they'd dated, and although circumstances were different then it wasn't until they'd been together five months that she'd first thought she might love him. Unlike most, she'd never really approved of the Veela mating, though there was nothing she could do against it, and this conversation wasn't endearing the concept to her. It was obvious that Reed and Malfoy were an ill-conceived pair. Proud pureblood and brilliant Muggleborn, born and raised in drastically different worlds. One would have to surrender to the other, eventually, and as their many fights proved it would not be a smooth road.

Reed was still speaking, ignorant of the effort Katie had to expend just to keep a neutral expression. "On the same day that the resolution passed, I got an acceptance packet from Oxford. It's the most prestigious College of Law in the country, possibly in the world. I was offered not only admittance, but a merit scholarship. But there were two issues: first, I had never applied, and second, I was accepted for the wrong year, accepted to start next fall instead of after I graduate. I tried to write to my parents to sort it all out, but they were being really dodgy and Albus and Scorpius suggested just Portkeying home. That's where I was today."

She took another deep breath, staring at Katie very intently. This was fresh, and it was obvious that the emotions associated with it were fresh as well. "If I tell you this, you can't react. You have to promise that my parents will be safe." Katie nodded slowly.

"I just want to help you and Mr. Malfoy."

"I don't want to get them in trouble. Please, I need you to promise that you won't report them or anything. I love my family. They're trying to do what they think is best."

Katie expected Reed to continue in this vein until she had an answer, but instead she fell silent, tension in the line of her shoulders, and waited for a response. Katie weighed her options carefully. She needed information to be able to react, but it was exactly that reaction which Reed feared. Unfortunately, fear for her family didn't necessarily indicate an insurmountable issue. With her parents being Muggle and Reed herself nearly of age, there would be very little protection for her family regardless of the magnitude of their interference.

"Alright, Miss Reed. You have my word." Reed studied her a moment longer, then nodded to herself.

"When I went home today my parents admitted to applying in my name, and to purposefully choosing the wrong starting semester. I didn't get all the details, but what I did understand isn't good. Phillip Vega came and visited them, and admitted to being a Naga, except that they didn't understand what he meant. They assumed it was just a term for a Japanese wizard. He told them that because of the state of my magic, being a Veela mate would kill me. Something about how the Veela needs certain types of magic from their mate, and my not being able to meet the demand. They described the symptoms and it fits. Fits enough to be scary. I gathered that they'd spoken with him more than once. My parents aren't idiots, and they said that they'd asked around at Saint Mungo's and he's some sort of expert in this particular field of magic. They said that those potions last year were experimental and Vega had access to those files. That's what sparked his interest in me personally. I'm not sure how much I buy all that, but it does fit. Regardless, the important point is that my parents believe my being with Scorpius is dangerous to my health." She took a deep breath, then continued a little more slowly.

"My parents laid out an ultimatum. If I wanted to go back to Hogwarts, I had to do it with the condition of deceiving Scorpius and everyone else. They want me to take the opportunity of Oxford as an escape route, and they're worried that if I tell anyone I'll be stopped. I told them I didn't want to do that to Scorpius. I don't want to leave him and I certainly don't want to lie about it. They declared I wouldn't return to Hogwarts. I was sent to my room and chose not to remind them that the Portkey would go off regardless. I was pacing my room examining my options out when the thing went off."

"So what are you going to do?"

"First, I'm going to get answers. Is it true that those potions at the end of last year were experimental?" Katie didn't respond immediately, surprised by the forcefulness of the inquiry and trying to process everything she had heard. It was obvious why Reed had demanded her silence—if it was known that her parents were interfering in the Veela mating the Malfoy family could sue with drastic consequences. But if her parents succeeded in changing Reed's mind she would be perfectly within her rights to terminate their relationship and it would be difficult to prove culpability.

The key, then, was to keep Reed from drastic action. While the truth wouldn't be ideal in this situation, Katie was unable to produce a lie of sufficient credibility to fool the Ravenclaw, so she answered reluctantly. "They aren't completely certified, but you were in no danger. Similar procedures have been in use for the past 10 years or more."

"Why wasn't I made aware of that? Why wasn't I told that my private information would be made widely available as part of study, with my own actual name attached no less?"

"You would have to take that up with the Headmaster and the Healers involved. I was only informed so that I would not be surprised by or suspicious of your superior performance."

"Is it true that Veela draw magic from their mates?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you should take that up with Mr. Malfoy, who would doubtless know more than any Naga."

"Is it true that Philip Vega is a well-known healer dealing with magic deficiencies?"

Again, Katie hesitated. This lie would be easier to tell, but useless since it could be independently verified, and likely had already been by her parents. "The name is familiar to me. I don't know the specifics."

"It is true that the first signs of someone being slowly but critically drained of their magic is failed potions, and erratic casting ability, including significant failures with a few shining successes?"

This line of questioning didn't bode well. "I'm not an expert."

"But you don't doubt it either."

"You've always struggled with potions."

"Yes, but it's getting worse. My spell-casting is too." She said it very factually, and it was disturbing to hear a witch discuss her own magical losses so clinically. "I'm getting more help than ever before, I'm barely practicing outside of class because I've been so busy with everything else, and yet this transfiguration is the only completely successful spell I've had in two weeks."

"There's no record of any Veela mate ever suffering from exhaustion." Katie tried to reassure her.

"There's no record of any Veela mate like me." The tone was almost contemplative, taking the sting out of the wording. But it still seemed like Dianne was jumping to conclusions.

"You shouldn't be hasty about information that isn't sure."

"You just don't want me to reject Scorpius, even out of fear for my own life. Which, for the record, is why I'm asking."

"I won't want you to do anything you'll regret." She ached to tell Dianne to take this opportunity to go, and at the same time knew that she had to convince her to stay in order to save Malfoy's life.

Diane was silent for a moment, considering everything. "Regardless, I need to find Scorpius and talk this out with him. No matter what I decide, he deserves the truth."

"Are you sure that's wise?" The truth would be very dangerous, no matter what Dianne decided. An enraged Veela was no small force of magic.

"I'm not an idiot. I won't let him go after my parents. But if anyone can answer my questions or help me, it's him. Or Vega, I suppose. But I'll start with the wizard who hasn't been lying to me."

She was already rising, mind focused on finding her intended and her tone reflected that. There was nothing more Katie could do. "Alright. Thank you for making me aware of the situation. My door is always open to you."

"Thank you, Deputy."

-Chapter End. 8,800 Words-

Author's Note:

There is only one more chapter remaining! We are almost done with this piece, and I am a little sad to see it finished. My beta is about ready to kill me because I keep sending her "just one more" scene that I want to add. So I'm publishing this now, and Chapter 12 will be out next week. However, as a compromise, I will also keep writing one-shots and publishing them when they are ready. If there's something you'd like to see, make sure you request it!

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Posted on September 7, 2014.


	12. Crossroads

**CHAPTER TWELVE: Crossroads**

Scorpius stalked down the 2nd floor hallway, trying to pretend that he was actually headed to the library, and not just getting away from Edward. He loved his cousin well enough—even liked him most days—but he was becoming quite impossible. First, confronting Dianne (threatening, controlling, upsetting Di and he still hadn't managed to remove the stinging hex which was the price for such things) and then not telling Scorpius he had done so. Then, he'd taken credit for their reconciliation and now he seemed to think he was the supreme expert on their relationship. He'd been nagging Scorpius ever since he returned to the common room, saying he should never have let her go home alone. It was infuriating. He could trust Di. He knew it. Albus seemed to agree. But Edward would not leave the subject alone.

Scorpius reached the library doors and turned around, unwilling to force himself to sit still and do homework (while Di faced her parents alone). He started to stalk back toward the Deputy's office. Maybe he could wait for Di there. It was only a quarter of an hour before she should return. He would be waiting for her. Ready for her. Ready to help her.

The door opened even as he approached, and Scorpius was shocked to see Dianne coming out. As soon as she saw him, she smiled and seemed relieved. He found himself relaxing and smiling back, even as his worry kicked up a notch and he wondered when she'd gotten back and how.

"Hey Zee. I was just coming to look for you." She glanced up and down the hall. "We need to talk. Come on." She ended up leading him back toward the library, into the infamous classroom that would always be _that room_ to him, but he didn't say anything. There were more important issues than remembering the past. She avoided the stools which still stood close together and hopped up on the teacher's desk, patting the place beside her. As soon as he sat, she leaned against him and sighed heavily. The contact eased him a little further, and he wrapped an arm behind her.

"I don't really know where to start, Zee. It's worse than I feared. And I'm worried about the consequences." She looked up at him, earnest and pleading. As though he wouldn't move mountains for her, if she asked him to. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. Please _listen_ to me." The way she said it reminded him of _that evening_ in the library. He felt himself go very still and focused. This was serious. He probably wouldn't like it. But listening was very important to Dianne, so he would listen.

"Of course, Di." Really, a little self-restraint wasn't so much to ask for.

"Philip Vega lied to us." Anger, contempt. Trouble and Vega in the middle of it again, the little slime, but at least this time Di seemed upset too. (He'd fix that as soon as he wasn't _listening_). "I know we already knew that, but it's so much worse than I thought it was. He betrayed us." A soft growl that he swallowed, as he always did, whenever there was a threat to Dianne. (He would protect her.) Deep breath. Now was not the time to get into everything they hadn't had a chance to talk about yet. Focus. "He went behind my back and talked to my parents and he's got them really scared." She was growing more timid, and he squeezed her shoulders to reassure her. "Don't be mad at them." (Dianne was afraid, he should reassure her.) (Dianne was afraid of his anger, there was probably good reason for anger.) (Dianne shouldn't have to be afraid.) Scorpius nodded, and forced himself to focus on Vega. He had probably tricked them into whatever it was that had happened. Whatever it was, it was Vega's fault. Dianne took a deep breath before she continued.

"You know those potions I told you about at the end of last year? Well, evidently they weren't as straight forward as I was told. They were actually experimental, and my entire medical file got included in a case study as a result." His mate had been exploited for study. Been lied to. (Betrayed.) Not just by a no-good politician, but by the healers and teachers that were supposed to protect her. If he hadn't been seated (holding Dianne, protecting Dianne, listening to Dianne), he might have already been heading for the door. "A case study Vega has access too." Coward! Lying, sneaking around Dianne, coming between them. If they ever crossed paths, he'd kill the man to keep his mate safe. "He's convinced that my magic is being critically drained." Liar. He'd know if there was something wrong with his Di. "He told my parents some symptoms to watch out for, and he pretty accurately predicted the last couple of weeks." That was… unexpected. The anger broke open a little. Concern flooded in. (What could have harmed Di, she'd been with him.) Dianne was shaking, he realized, and he held her tighter still. She was talking much softer now. "It doesn't look good. He says if it continues, I'll die from exhaustion." (Dianne gone, forever.) (**NEVER.**)

She wasn't looking at him anymore, but she was still leaning on him, turning to him. She needed him here, (listening, because Dianne asked). And he would listen. Then he'd scour the whole country—the whole planet—until he found someone compatible enough to for a magical transfer. Damn the odds and damn the morality. _Dianne would not die_.

"Zee… the drain…" yes-the threat-they could start there, start by eliminating the drain, but option one still stood. She'd never be in danger again. "He says that's basically what a Veela bond is. He thinks you're killing me."

Inner silence. Some part of him wanted to deny it, to meet her up-turned eyes and swear that it was impossible. But the shock had cleared his head for a moment, just a moment, and… it made sense. He slotted it against everything that he knew, from living with his parents' bond his whole life and from experiencing his own, and compared it against what he knew of other magical parasites, and was shocked he'd never seen the parallels before.

It also explained some of Dianne's own reactions. Her extreme anger and distance as a knee-jerk reaction made much more sense if she was instinctually fighting a magical draw. Emotional distance would work in her favor, until it abated enough to be overwhelmed. Or until she was sufficiently distracted—by her cousin, perhaps, or by his. Her acquiescence once that emotional defense was removed probably said more about the power of his pull on her than anything about her actual emotional reactions.

He had been silent too long, he realized, as she stumbled on. "I'm not sure if it's true, Zee. I just don't know. I don't know if we can trust Vega. He's a Naga, so I'm sure he has ulterior motives, but he approached us at the Ball—well before he could have known that we'd be at all useful to the Naga. Before he knew they would need help. That doesn't sound malicious. But, at the same time, he lied. I just don't know what to think."

Those were very good points. But, most importantly, she needed to know, "I think he's telling the truth. I never thought about it before, I swear I didn't know, but the Veela bond does seem to fit with what I know about magical parasites. It wouldn't be obvious with a powerful mate. Magic is drained off all time—we're all shedding a little magic all the time and wards and illusions both draw on the magic of those they affect every day. So an extra draw wouldn't be noticed on a powerful witch or wizard. It might even make them stronger in the long run, like a well-exercised muscle. But in your case… given the last couple weeks… Vega might be right. You could be in danger."

Vaguely, he wondered where his panic was. It was like that part of him that had been growing and moving and thinking for nearly a year now had suddenly shut down. He'd told Derek that he _was_ the Veela, and while the Veela was active that was true. There was only one self. But at this moment, he knew he wasn't reacting the way a Veela would. He was too calm, too logical. It was a good thing—nothing would be gained by homicidal protectiveness, possessive jealousy, or animal instinct. But it was also bizarre.

"So what do we do about it? If I leave, you'll die. If I stay, I'll die. I don't like those options."

"We'll do whatever we can to give ourselves more time. See if there's a match to make a magical transfer for you. I know the odds are bad, but it's a known starting place. We'll also try to see if there's any other source I could use to take the burden off you."

Dianne was quiet for a moment. "They mentioned that. They said your father was already looking into it. Looking for a way to get rid of me."

Scorpius felt a stirring of rage at that—simple, human anger that his father would betray him, would go behind his back, would interfere in his life without being asked or invited. Especially because he'd all but sworn to Di that he wouldn't let his father come between them. He also felt a small touch of terror, because even if no one else ever knew, he'd seen the look on his father's face when he'd asked him about the Dark Mark and he wondered if Dianne knew just what sort of things his father was capable of.

"I swear, I know nothing about that. I wouldn't let him hurt you."

"I know. I trust you. I'm here, aren't I?"

That was another very good point. Scorpius continued while he still had his sanity. "We won't tell him about all this. He'd go after your parents and Vega, for one, and I know at least your parents are only trying to help. And…" deep breath. They'd never talked about this either, not even in the wake of her mini-confrontation about it during their reconciliation. "To be honest, I don't trust him. Never be alone with him. I don't want to believe this is true, but never take the risk. We'll write to Vega, and we'll do our own research, and we'll question anyone who's not likely to talk to them. Gather whatever independent facts we can. Maybe you can threaten scandal about being included in an undisclosed case study and get a chance to see the other records." She nodded, much more relaxed. He took another deep breath. Wondered if he could really do this. Tried to convince himself it was the right thing.

Carefully, he forced himself to loosen his hold on her, to twist away a little, to give her space and look her in the eye. Dianne deserved this respect, no matter what it cost him. "Listen… You should probably know… if the bond _is_ parasitic… that might be why you're attracted to me. Why you can't stay mad at me. Why you're willing to come back every time."

She met his eyes steadily, seeming unsurprised, and a little sad. "I know. Or, rather, I guessed. My mood swings around you were one of the first things I considered when I was pacing in my room. It's been bugging me for a while, the way that I react to you. Both the good, and the bad. But I realized something. No matter how it's working or why, you're still the same Scorpius who shot at clowns with me, and who laid on the floor watching Disney with me, and who charmed my whole family, and who fixed my mistake with Richard, and who made me see that the world isn't all black and white. You believed in me when everyone else dismissed me out of hand, and gave me a chance to prove myself to a whole House full of people who would never have looked twice at me without you. I didn't want to be Madam Malfoy and all that it entails, but I've been happier in the two months I've known you than in several years before that. Yes, I've also been extremely frustrated and scared and even hurt sometimes. But I'm happier now than at any other time at Hogwarts. Even if that isn't entirely natural, it's still how I feel. I think that's what matters."

"Are you sure? Because the bond is only going to get stronger if we let it. Especially since we're now aware of what it entails. Choosing it consciously… it will have more power."

"I haven't been sure of anything in a long time. But I'm as sure as I think I can be right now. This is my mistake to make, if it is one. I want to be here. I feel like I belong with you."

He felt an overwhelming moment of pride. In the time he'd known Dianne he'd seen her change, slowly and subtly, from someone who put up a very good mask of confidence into someone who was confident in herself and her own worth. The declaration also made him want to purr. It was right that his mate should choose him freely, and good that he had earned this place in her life. Almost immediately he felt a change in the room. (Di's in danger.) He stood from the desk, drew his wand, and pulled Dianne behind him sharply. He could feel her confusion nearly palatably, but before she could voice it he swung to the right. (He had to protect Di.) There—he was sure of it. No visible threat, nothing to hear or smell, but the magic in the room was aware, watching, and so was _something else_.

He felt a flash of heat which wasn't on his skin but in his magic, in the magic of the room, and pushed back against that magical heat with the strongest shield he knew. It didn't matter. Nothing would stop a phoenix.

The red and gold bird came through his glittering blue barrier without the slightest ripple or hesitation to suggest it had been hindered. He conjured a steel blade and met the threat early, forcing it to change course. It wheeled around over the desk and he spun, jerking his mate behind him again.

The bird was suddenly circling the opposite way, headed back toward them, (toward Dianne, exposed on his left), and he felt his mate duck as the phoenix gave a piercing cry and missed—barely, but missed—in its attack. Scorpius swung his blade, and the phoenix glided past them, then flapped to the top of the room and hovered.

There was a moment of stillness.

Scorpius intercepted the next strike by stepping forward, wand raised, and sent a piercing spell that made the phoenix dodge right. He was fast, but it didn't change the burn on his arm and shoulder where the fire of phoenix's proximity singed his aura. Scorpius planted his feet, now standing in front of Dianne who was mostly hiding under the desk at his back.

It was impossible that they had been found. The very nature of the Veela bonding prevented scrying for the mate, and he was protected by old family magics as the Heir of Malfoy. Magical parasites naturally disguised the signature of their host; it was one of the parallels that he couldn't deny. There was no way for the phoenix to have tracked them.

His distraction almost cost him dearly. His enemy lashed out with a blast of magical fire, and he met it with a physical steel shield. The heat was intense but short, the phoenix choosing to try to dive at him while he was blinded by his own defense. He sensed the attack as a sharp increase in the danger to Di and he swung the shield out as hard as he could, hitting the bird broadside and knocking it off course. It cried out, but didn't fall.

The bird spun in the air again, pivoting on one wing tip, hardly retreating, no room to think or react and this time it came for Scorpius directly. He cast the strongest wind curse he knew. The phoenix was diverted as it approached, and then it was past him, flying just right of himself and Dianne, still hiding on his left. For a moment—only a moment—Scorpius thought the threat had missed. Then he felt the pain and he collapsed, losing control of his legs and arms.

The pain washed away everything else, he couldn't tell where it came from or what had happened. He fell, half on Dianne, or maybe she caught him, and as she pressed against his chest—Sweet Merlin—he realized he was bleeding. His entire front was covered in blood from some sort of slash. There was another bird-scream but at the same time there was a crash, and Dianne ducked over the top of him, her eyes wide, protecting him with her own body, and then there was only darkness.

* * *

><p>Dianne looked up as soon as she realized she'd ducked in reflex. It was quick enough to see a wall of water appear in front of her. Someone had entered the classroom, blown the door off its hinges to do so, and though she couldn't see clearly through the water, she could see a dark silhouette in the doorway. There was a flash of light, then stillness. She forced herself to breathe in, and to breathe out. In. Out. The stillness remained, and she realized the demented bird was gone.<p>

A moment later the water wall became a puddle on the ground, spilling away from her in a manner which was unnatural, and the silhouette was walking over to her. He knelt, and put his clean hands over hers, which were already covered in the blood that was seeping through her cloak, and she realized it was Vega.

She should have said thank you, demanded to know what he was doing in a Hogwarts classroom, or begged him to heal Scorpius. What came out when she opened her mouth was: "Did you lie to my parents?" It was possible she was in shock. He seemed to take a very long time answering.

"No. The constant up-hill battle to restore your core will eventually kill you. You can either refrain from all magic and all magical drains until your threshold is met and your core is healed, however many years that may require, or you can give up your magic entirely and become a Muggle. Anything else will kill you. Probably within two years."

Dianne thought that she should probably be upset by that. But the feeling was very distant. And really, she was most upset by the thought that "Scorpius would die."

"The boy has been struck by a phoenix. He is dying now."

There was a flaw in his logic. "You're a Naga. You can heal him."

"Some things are beyond our powers. Particularly since your treaty has crippled us."

He'd lied before. Might be lying now. But she had no way to force him to tell the truth, so she had to act as though this was the truth. Still, might as well double check: "There's nothing you can do?"

"There's nothing I can do."

He could have just been parroting her. But there was something in the way he said it, a hint of satisfaction, maybe, that made her pause on the idea.

"There's something I can do." His gaze sharpened. He didn't contradict her. "Why can't you help him? What is special about the phoenix?"

Again, it seemed like he stared at her for a long time. Almost as though he was waiting for something.

"Their will cannot be bargained with. They accept no deals, no oaths, no sacrifices."

Which couldn't be true. Because they had accepted Scorpius's sacrifice, his oath, to be their representative. And he had been that, at great personal cost. Had they attacked him because they disagreed? Albus had been concerned, in a time that felt very long ago, that the phoenix would punish Scorpius regardless of the will of magic. But phoenix were bound by magic. In fact, The Phoenix were bound by Magic.

But perhaps they weren't bound to the Naga by Magic. Perhaps they could reject, or overcome, or refuse the sacrifice of a Naga.

"I could give up my magic entirely." Scorpius needed her magic. Needed it to survive. According to Vega, she didn't. For whatever that was worth. "I could become a Muggle." Vega stood, and as his hands left Scorpius started to wheeze, as though he knew someone had given up on him. Shutter in. Cough out. Shutter in. Cough out. A single, uninterrupted stream of rattling that was breathing. A grisly rhythm.

"You can. I must leave, before I am found here. Take the first opportunity to go to Oxford. You will be protected there. We stand by our promises."

Her hands were still pressing down on the robe, now soaked entirely with blood. She heard him walk away, but didn't really pay any attention. He wasn't important.

Under her hands, pressed into the robe that was pressing on the wound, was her wand. She couldn't cast a steady shield with it. She could produce only a few basic jinxes. Despite whatever she had once planned, despite what she had once said, she was a witch. When her adrenaline pumped and the air sang with pressure that even she could feel, but not feel on her skin, she clutched her wand. It was a part of her. It was a piece of who she was. It was the definition of what she was. What she had always been, even if she hadn't known, hadn't understood, hadn't accepted or been accepted. She belonged to Magic as surely as did any creature or any spell. To lay that aside was to lay aside her life. Whatever it would be after was not what it was now. It might become her life, but it would not be the same life.

Crouched on a classroom floor, trying to stop the blood pumping out of her intended, Dianne swallowed carefully around her dry tongue. They hadn't found much on healing rituals in the library, and had only covered the most basic aspects of general rituals in Arithmancy. But maybe, maybe, that would be enough. First, to invoke magic with a neutral, physical representative. Something she had on her, there was no time to retrieve anything else. But anything that belonged to her, wouldn't be neutral. So something around her. "Stone of this castle, unmoved throughout all our lives, you shall witness this sacrifice."

Next was the one she had already determined: the basis of the power for the ritual. "Magic of my blood, willing sacrificed, you shall sustain this body."

Finally, she had to seal it with some sort of contrast. That meant it needed to be unwilling. But nothing nearby had a will. Except… it was the wand that chose the witch. It might be enough. Sweet, sweet, Magic, let it be enough. "Wand of my hand, unwilling gifted to another, you shall protect this soul."

The pressure in the room, which had never really faded after the phoenix had left, suddenly increased. Scorpius took a deep breath that sounded a lot better than any other sound he'd made since she'd caught him, and his whole body went slack in unconsciousness. The pressure built again, and she felt dizzy for a moment. She slipped her wand into the inside pocket of his robes, even though it meant letting up some of the pressure on his wound, and as her fingers left the wood she suddenly felt weak, a sharp sense of vertigo dulling her hearing and vision for a moment. She blinked sharply, and when the blackness cleared, Deputy Weasley was kneeling over Scorpius too.

She pulled back the bloody robe, tore open his shirt which was ripped anyways from the attack, "My word, is everything… Move. Let me see him, Miss Reed. What happened here? Are you hurt?" and as the shirt parted, Dianne could see that there wasn't a scratch on his pale skin. That was good news, because she couldn't press down anymore. She needed both hands firmly on the floor at this moment. There were pretty colors floating over Scorpius, but they weren't harming him so that was probably okay.

"Miss Reed?" Deputy Weasley didn't sound happy, which was weird, because Dianne was totally happy right now. Scorpius was okay. That was good. He was supposed to be okay. That was a good reason to be happy.

Deputy Weasley cast a spell that made colors float in front of Dianne, which was pretty but not very useful. Especially since it seemed to alarm her greatly.

"Miss Reed, I need you to come with me to my office so that we can send you home." That… seemed like a bad idea. She wasn't sure why, but it was a bad idea.

Deputy Weasley would not listen to such horrible logic. Dianne probably shouldn't listen to such logic, but she was, and she needed different logic for Deputy Weasley. Already they were almost at the door to her office. How had that happened? "Miss Reed, sit here for a moment." Deputy Weasley seemed to be in a hurry, so maybe she didn't need logic. Maybe she just needed different idea. Logic could come later. It always came when called.

"I need to go to Oxford."

The made the Deputy pause. She gave her a long look. It was a look she had seen before. It was a look she had gotten when she proclaimed she didn't own dress robes. It was a look she had gotten when she needed to go to Spain. It was the look she had gotten when she and Scorpius and Albus had begged for a Porkey three very very very long days ago.

"Why Oxford, Miss Reed?"

"I'm safe there."

"Alright." There was a nauseating, jerking, twisting, and then Dianne was falling onto grass. She lay there for a while. She wasn't really sure how long.

After a while, she heard someone coming and looked over at Vega—only it wasn't Vega. Not-Vega was running toward her, and she tried to stand up to greet him. That seemed polite. Throwing up on his shoes probably ruined the effect though.

* * *

><p>"-want answers. Not guesses, not theories, answers. My son's life is at stake!"<p>

"As I have already said, Mr. Malfoy, you son is in no danger."

"Dragon's breath." Father must have been very upset. Mother always said that the slang of vulgar youth had no place in the speech of House Malfoy. "My Veela son is lying in a hospital bed and his mate is nowhere in sight. Is, in fact, nowhere to be found." That couldn't be correct. He knew when Dianne was gone. He knew what it felt like when he didn't know where she was. He knew that worry, that pull, that restlessness. This was… not that. This was her fingers tracing his veins, this was both of his arms wrapped around her as she leaned against him, fast asleep in the common room, this was her eyes shining with their victory and his purring satisfaction that she was everything he had known she could be. Except… he couldn't feel her fingers anywhere. And her scent seemed to be missing. And her breathing didn't seem to be close by. An uneasiness stirred in him. Something was… off.

"Mr. Malfoy, you son is not showing any stress. There is no evidence of a withdrawal reaction of any kind. He is completely stable, both physically and magically. Even the deepest scans show him to be a completely healthy Veela with a well-structured bond." That wasn't right either. He and Dianne hadn't completed the bond. They'd been talking, and they'd both consciously accepted the bond, but then they were attacked. (Di had been in danger.) He remembered falling, and remembered her being there, leaning over him, protecting him. (Dianne might still be in danger.) He needed to move. He needed to protect her. She shouldn't have to protect him.

"And yet he remains unconscious." Maybe that was why he couldn't move. He needed to fix that, and fast. He needed to find Dianne.

"He will wake naturally. This is not uncommon after a wizard's first fight for his life. It's a psychological reaction while the brain assesses and integrates the experience and it allows the magic to settle back into normal position, out of the fight-or-flight response." Forget natural, it was inconvenient.

"Are you saying my son was mortally threatened?" No. That wasn't right. The phoenix had come for Dianne. It had only attacked him because he was in the way as it tried to get to her. He needed to protect her.

"All we know right now was that there was a magical flare in an unused classroom at Hogwarts. Deputy Weasley arrived on scene and found your son covered in blood—which we've determined was his own—but completely unharmed and unconscious. She called us immediately. It's unclear what happened or how he was healed, but your son is fine." No, that couldn't be right. Where was Dianne? She should have been there.

He could feel himself panic, and drew on it purposefully, forcing it into his muscles. He managed to open his eyes and sit up. He paused for a moment, and realized that he had expected a sense of vertigo which didn't come. His father turned toward him, stepped up to the bed, and the St. Mungo's healer in the room followed him. Scorpius swung his feet over the edge of the bed. He hadn't been in St. Mungo's long, not even long enough for them to vanish his robe which was ripped and burned and covered in blood. Please, Sweet Merlin, let it be his own blood.

"Where's Dianne?"

His father reached out to steady him, but Scorpius by-passed the hand he didn't need and headed to the door at the fastest pace he could call a walk. Malfoy's didn't run in public, but Dianne was probably still being hunted by the phoenix.

"Your mother is at Hogwarts trying to find the answer to that question."

His father wasn't trying to stop him, which was good, but he was following him, which was not so good. Scorpius might be half-mad with the need to find Dianne, but he wasn't so focused that he didn't remember. His father had betrayed him. His father had never liked Dianne. His father was a threat.

"Mr. Malfoy, I understand your anxiety, but you need to speak with a Healer before you leave." Scorpius ignored the Healer—distraction—keeping pace at his other elbow.

"You just assured me he was perfectly healthy." Trust Father to stick his nose in everything.

"Sir, it's standard procedure to…" Scorpius didn't want to listen to the explanation, but he saw an opportunity.

"Father, please fire-call Mother and see if she has found any useful information. I will attend to this, and then apparate to Dianne's home to see if she is there. I will check everywhere we traveled this Solstice, and you do the same of the wizarding places she visited with us. I will call Dipsy as soon as I find her. We will cover more ground separately."

His father nodded his agreement, likely more because he knew if he didn't he'd have to deal with an angry and protective Veela than out of actual agreement. There were flaws in the plan a mile wide, but nobody argued logic with an impassioned Veela.

Scorpius immediately followed the Healer into another hall, already looking for the nearest exit to exploit as soon as he was out of his father's sight, when he suddenly found himself facing an office door marked "Healer Vega". The Healer he was following knocked, but Scorpius forced the door open without waiting for a reply and slammed it shut behind him.

He was already reaching for his want as the sound echoed, and he would have drawn it in time if he hadn't found a second, unexpected object in the same pocket. Vega's immobilization hex froze him before he could fully register his confusion.

"I know why you're furious with me. But I'm not going to let you tear me apart based on an unnecessary instinct. I know that you're currently searching for Dianne. But she doesn't want you to find her."

The shock of grief that hit him completely overpowered his anger. It was an almost foreign thought that pointed out that Vega had lied before. The logic numbed him just a little, but it was too awkward to return him to the invigorating anger which might have broken the hex.

"I know you are concerned for her safety, but that is no longer necessary. Yes, the phoenix hunted her. They could not sense her as long as your bond masked her presence. But when—for whatever reason—that bond retreated this afternoon, they were able to track her. Luckily, I was also waiting and made my way to Hogwarts immediately. I couldn't make it through the wards as quickly as the attacker did, but I arrived in time to save her after you fell. You were struck by the phoenix. As a qualified healer, and an expert in the damage they can do, I admit that I have no idea how you survived a single hour, let alone are capable of walking. The true anger of the phoenix is always deadly." He sighed, but continued. "She tried to save your life by physically stemming the blood flow but it wasn't working. It couldn't work. I told her as much. I told her if she wanted to survive, she would have to avoid all magical drain indefinitely to let her threshold recover or else give up her magic and become a Muggle. I was forced to leave before I could help her complete the necessary steps. However, she apparently managed on her own. I know for fact that she is currently safe, healthy although in shock, and that the phoenix will never be able to track her again. Not while she's a Muggle."

Vega paused, staring at Scorpius. "I don't know what she did, or how, but somehow she managed to heal you, and give you a stable bond. I know you still feel the same way and instinctively treat her as though she were your mate. However this is impossible. She is completely a Muggle. She has no magic. Her core is producing no magic. She is not your mate. Your reactions are entirely emotional and instinctual, there is no longer any magical drive behind them. She is safe, and you are safe. That is more than I thought possible when I realized that you had chosen her for your mate. Now, I'm going to relax the hex enough for you to breath at your own pace and control your eyes. When you're ready to talk like a rational human being, just close your eyes and keep them closed.

Almost immediately Scorpius felt his body begin to pant and wrestled himself under control. Panicking would not help. Panicking had, in fact, gotten him hexed. Vega had hinted that he knew where Dianne was, that he had seen her or spoken with someone who had. He needed Vega's help to find her, because despite what he told his dad he doubted Dianne had gone back to her house. It was doubtful that someone hadn't already checked there.

He didn't believe for a moment that Dianne wasn't his mate. Vega was either lying, or he was wrong. However, perhaps because of the stable bond which had also been mentioned by the Healer speaking with his father, Scorpius was able to get control of himself, so after a couple regulated breaths he closed his eyes. It seemed like a long time before the hex was lifted.

"Have a seat." Scorpius didn't want to, but one thing he had learned from watching Dianne deal with the purebloods was that faking acquiescence in unimportant matters could lead very quickly to being underestimated. "I thought you should also know that whatever Dianne did, it dissolved your oath to the phoenix." Scorpius could feel that he failed to hide his shock, but he did get it under control before his defensiveness awoke and he lunged for the Naga. "My people are very good at what we do, and we are able to sense any disturbance in another's magic, even willing oaths. You bore one when we met over the Solstice, and even as you lay dying. Now, you do not."

"Where is Dianne?"

"I am not going to tell you. She cannot be tracked by the phoenix. You can. It will take them a while to learn to do so without your oath, especially as your magic is changed by the stability of the bond, but they will find you. I do not want you to lead them to her."

"Why do you care?"

"Dianne is unique. Her power should have made her so. It did not because of her compassion. Her compassion, too, should have made her a beacon. It did not because of her insecurity. Her insecurity drove her to levels of proficiency rarely matched in all the ways that matter. Still, her help was made impossible by her bond to you and through you to the phoenix. This is no longer a threat. She can finally become all that she was meant to be, all that she can be. She has the strength of will to lay down her life, willingly and knowingly, for a boy who hated her and everything she was. She has the mind to match and surpass the cunning of the bigoted and the barriers of the ignorant. She is needed, wanted, valued."

"Maybe she doesn't want to be needed by you. You've lied to her. She won't take that lightly."

"She knew we were being untruthful, even as we knew that she was seeking the edges of our eagerness for her skills. She wants to be appreciated. She wants to belong. With us, both are possible."

"You just said she's a Muggle. She'll never belong with magic again."

"You have a very narrow understanding of what is magical."

"You won't help me?"

"No."

"I love her."

"You think you do. Stay away for a while. Distract yourself. Even now, you do not feel the agitation which you would feel, if your mate were actually missing. The bond is steady, and that is all the Veela truly cares about. Everything else is developed survival response that is no longer needed in your case."

"Maybe I'm not agitated. But I am worried. I care about her."

"Then let her go. For her own safety."

"You're not going to let her go, and I bet the phoenix can find you too."

"We can protect her."

"So can I."

"You had your chance to do so. You failed." The truth stung, and Scorpius used the anger as an excuse to rise and sweep out of the office. He would get no more help from Vega.

* * *

><p>Scorpius went to her house. Her parents knew nothing.<p>

He went to the arcade, then the little diner, then the infamous Italian restaurant. No one recognized his description of Dianne.

He went to Summer Reed's home, but received nothing to help him find Dianne. She did, at least, give him Derek's location.

Derek did not know where Dianne was. In fact, he delayed Scorpius for over two hours, pulling every detail he could from him. Scorpius could have apparated away at any time, but didn't bother. It was good to talk about it all. To pull it apart, lay it out, and put it back together logically. Derek then delayed him another hour discussing his own state of mind. Scorpius told him that he did, in fact, feel more stable. He tried to describe the difference between the wildness of the Veela and the wildness which was emotion itself. Derek never seemed to get less confused, but Scorpius felt better afterward. Derek asked if it was even worth chasing Dianne. If there was no bond, why should they try to force the relationship to work when they were obviously ill-suited for each other?

Scorpius told him that he still cared for Dianne, was still worried about her, and still loved her.

He told Derek that Dianne needed to know what Vega had said about the plans the Naga had for her, and he didn't trust the crafty spirit to do it himself.

He told Derek that Di had changed his world, and he didn't want to go back to before he had made her laugh and been dubbed Zee.

He told Derek that he needed her help politically, that she had the most amazing mind of anyone he had ever met, and that he admired her regardless of any magical talent.

He told Derek that she had left her wand behind, but not her intension ring, and he fully meant to stand by his vow that she was the only one who could remove it and that if she wanted him, then he was hers.

He did not say, although he knew, that these were only the surface of the truth—the fruits of the one, deepest truth which he would not say to Derek, not when he hadn't yet said it to her.

In the end, Derek didn't know where Dianne was or where she would go. And Scorpius did not say that it didn't matter, he had figured it out much earlier in the conversation, but had needed just a little more time to sort himself out with the one listener who was almost as good, almost as just, almost as smart as Dianne herself.

* * *

><p>The sun didn't stand a chance against the English clouds, making it even colder in Oxford than in Scotland. Still, Dianne had gotten in the habit of going outside to think, so she leaned against the tree, wrapped her coat tight around herself, gave thanks it wasn't actively raining, and missed Edward's weather warding.<p>

She had a choice to make, and no one could make it for her. She hadn't missed the way Mr. Vise President of the College had assumed the conclusion was obvious, but she hadn't bothered to correct him. Best to get all options on the table. And what an option! Education, career, protection, society, respect, justice, even the petty vindication of being able to rub Oxford in Richard's face.

Still, it _was_ an option. One option. Which meant there was a choice.

The alternative options was, on the surface, unappealing. She was less than a Squib now, by any reckoning. She had enemies, and it was unlikely that many, if indeed any, of her new friends or allies would remain with her. She knew well the taste of prejudice, distain, and bigotry. Even so, she knew it could get worse. It likely would get worse.

She knew she needed to make that choice, consider and accept the consequences.

On paper it was easy. Simple. Straight forward. Forgone conclusion. Except…

Except.

Except that she had seen the flash of well-earned pride—had felt it echoed in herself. She had known actual confidence, had known certainty and victory and pure, heady triumph. She had belonged. Magic was now closed to her by her own hand. But she knew who she was, and she was more than the power to produce a rose out of paper. She believed it, truly, fully, proudly, because Zee had believe it first. And she _knew_ that he would believe it still. They weren't destined any more. Weren't tied together, forced together, drawn together by powers in their very beings of which they were unaware. She was confident that she could have been angry with him if she wished. Likely, she would be again someday. They certainly didn't agree on much. But after ten years of not knowing who she was, she had found herself again.

She would choose to know herself.

There was a pop to her right, and she straightened from where she had been leaning.

Standing just a little ways away was Scorpius himself, facing the front of Oxford which had been printed on the brochure she'd been mailed. It was the destination he had pictured to pull himself through space to get to her. She had guessed that this was where he would arrive.

He turned toward her immediately. It was impossible—she no longer had any magic to resonate with him—but impossible didn't change the fact that he turned to her, stepped closer, and clamped both hands on her shoulders without a single hesitation.

"Dianne, I want you to know this, before you say anything else." He obviously had a prepared speech, and he was steady enough on his feet that she thought he was probably still fine physically, so she drank in the sight of his intense face, and nodded as she listened. "That ring is still yours. I am still yours until you choose to remove it. I love you. I love who you are becoming, and I love you more every day as you find yourself. I know we challenge each other, and there are hard times ahead. I know everything just got a thousand times more complicated and that there's going to be hell to pay. But I'm not just a Veela anymore. I have a choice now. And I choose you, because I've never hated myself so much as when I was too weak to do what was necessary, and I've never been as grateful for anything as I am for the second chance you gave me. I want to be more like you. You're not perfect. I know that. But I choose you, temper and insecurities and… and everything else because you gave me the strength to want to break my oath, and I never want to be chained again. I want to be my better self. And I know that I can find that with you, Di. I have a choice now, and I choose you, as my intended."

It was everything she'd been waiting to hear.

-Chapter End. 7,800 Words-

Author's Note:

Again, I thank you for reading. All feedback is appreciated. This is the end of this story. This was always the planned ending, even though the exact details of how to get here changed a few times.

We are tentatively planning a sequel, _Consequences_, but more likely we'll do a few one-shots first. So if you have questions or requests, just drop us a review or PM.

This story, including original characters, may be used by anyone who wishes, so long as you send a review or PM to let us know we were a help.

We remain yours,

Saphrae (and beta)

Posted on September 20, 2014.


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